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1>AV1T>  LIVINGSTONE.— Frow  a  Phofof/raph. 


COVERING  HIS  ENTIRE  CAREER  IN 


THE  LIFE  AND  LABORS 

km  iira(;sioiuL«.J.c.L, 

SOUTHERN  AND  CENTRAL  AFRICA/ 

CAREFULLY  PREPARED  / 

From  tbf  most  authentic  sources,  m. :  his  own  two  large  roliimes, "  South  Africa,"  and  " The  Zambesi  Eipcdition," 

his  "Last  Journals"  (edited  by  Horace  Waller),  the  Reports  of  the  London  Ceograpbicai  Society, 

the  works  of  his  coteraporaries,  and  various  other  writings  bearing  upon  the  subject, 

"        A  THRILLING  NARRATIVE 

OK   THE 

ADVENTUBES,  DISCOVERIES,  EXPERIENCES  AND  ACHIEVEMENTS 

OF 

THE  GREATEST  EXPLORER  OF  MODERN  TIMESy 

IN    A 

WILD  AND  WONDERFUL  COUNTRY,  ■ 

INCLUBINO  / 

Bis  early  Life,  Preparation  for  his  Life-work,  a  Sketch  of  Africa  as  known  before  his  going  there,  th«  eHtire 
Record  of  his  heroic  Dndertakings,  Hanrds.  Hardships,  Tiiumphs,  bis  Discovery  by  H.  M.  Stanley,  hie 
lonely  Death,  faithful  Self-devotion  of  his  native  Servants,  Return  of  the  Remains,  Burial,  etc.; 
concluding  with  a  clear  and  conehe  survey  of  the  coutinent  touching  its  Agricultural,  Com- 
mercial and  Missionary  promise,  the  Nile  Mystery,  etc.,  as   gathered  from  the  works 
of  Livingstone,  Baker.  Speke,  Grant,  Barih,  Sweinfurth,  etc.,  etc.    The  whole 
rendered  clear  aud  plain  by  a  most  accurate 
I/E.A.I'    OF    THE    -W-HOLE    ItEC3-I03Sr    EXI'LOU-ED 


AND    THE    ROUTES    CLEARLY    INOICaTEO. 


By  Rev.   J.    E.   Chambliss. 


RICHLY     ILLUSTRATED 


PUBLISHED  BY  HUBBARD  BROS.,  PHILADKLPHIA,  BOSTON  AND  CINCINNATI; 

A.  L.  Uanc-rjft  &  Co.,  San  Fba.ncisco,  Cal.;   M.  M.  Bur.nham,  SyKAcu.sK,  N.  Y. ; 

N.    D.    Thompson    A    Co.,   St.    I..ouis,    Mo.;    II.    A.   W.    Blackbuh.n,    Detkoit,    Mich.; 

Sciiuvi.ER,    Smith   4   Co.,   London,   Ont,  ;   0.   L    Benjamin,   Fond  i>u   Lac,    Wis.; 

Fra.nk  W.  Oliver,  Davkni-out,  Iowa  ;  John  Killau,  Sen.,  Yarmouth,  N.  S. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1875,  by 

IIUBBAKD   BROS., 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  CongresB,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


PREFACE. 


My  task  has  been  to  write  a  book  setting  forth  as  clearly  as 
possible  the  life-work  of  Dr.  Livingstone,  in  its  connection  with 
the  history  of  the  African  continent,  and  its  bearing  on  those 
great  issues  involved  in  the  redemption  of  that  continent  from 
gloom  and  barbarism.  I  have  followed,  as  closely  as  the  subject 
demanded,  the  books  and  journals  of  Dr.  Livingstone  himself, 
for  his  personal  observations  and  adventures,  and  have  availed 
myself  freely  of  whatever  I  have  found,  in  a  wide  range  of 
works,  in  illustration  of  the  character  and  customs  of  the  people, 
the  appearance  and  condition  of  the  country,  the  habits  of  ani- 
mals, and  have  freely  seized  such  facts  of  science  and  of  general 
history  as  have  seemed  to  have  a  bearing  on  my  subject.  Where 
I  have  drawn  on  the  works  of  others,  I  have  done  so  more  for 
facts  than  for  the  form  of  putting  them,  and  I  have  not  been 
particularly  careful  in  making  quotations,  that  they  should  be 
literal,  nor  has  it  seemed  important  in  a  work  designed  for 
popular  patronage  to  make  frequent  mention  of  authorities.  I 
have  had  at  my  command  the  most  reliable  sources  of  informa- 
tion concerning  the  things  of  which  I  have  written,  and  while 
I  am  conscious  that  there  are  imperfections  in  the  book,  I  have 
tried  to  make  it  a  faithful  record,  a  clear  delineation  of  character, 
and  a  reliable  witness  in  connection  with  the  great  interests  in- 


6  PREFACE. 

volved  in  the  question  of  African  civilization,  as  far  as  these 

matters  could  be  considered  under  the  circumstances. 

If  the  reader  gets  a  true  and  full  conception  of  the  work  of 

Dr.  Livingstone,  catches  anything  of  his  manliness,  love  for 

men,  and  zeal  for  Christ,  and  becomes  more  deeply  interested  in 

the  great  enterprises  on  which  the  deliverance  of  the  millions 

of  that  unhappy  continent  from  the  dominion  of  ignorance  and 

superstition  and  vice  depends,  if  he  becomes  only  a  little  Aviser, 

and  stronger,  and  better,  and  nobler,  through  reading  the  book, 

I  will  be  satisfied. 

J.  E.  C. 


CONTENTS 


INTRODUCTION, 

Early  Civilization  in  Northern  Africa— The  Limit  of  the  Ancient  Civiliza- 
tion— Theatre  of  Mythology — Saracen  Conquest — Settlement  of  Soudan — 
Mohammedan  Failure— The  Fifteenth  Century— Gilianez  Passed  Cape  Bo- 
jador— Portuguese  Efforts  on  the  West  Coast — Roman  Catholicism — The 
Failure — England  and  France— Richard  Jobson — Mungo  Park — Denham 
and  Clapperton — Richard  Lander  Dispels  the  Niger  Mystery — Kingdoms 
on  the  West — Dahomey,  Ashantee,  etc. — The  Cape  Settlement — Vasco  de 
Gama— The  Settlement  of  Natal  by  the  English— Lieutenant  Christopher 
— Abyssinia  and  the  Nile — Bruce  and  Dr.  Beke— The  Nile  Mystery  as  it 
Stands — The  Unknown — Livingstone 2-3 

CHAPTER    I. 

BLANTYRE   TO   THE   BAKWAINS. 

Noble  Names — David  Livingstone — Blantyre— Home  Traditions — The  Fac- 
tory—Common School — Latin — Love  of  Books— Be  Honest— His  Father — 
Mother— Scottish  Poor— Both  well — Conversion — Missionary  Spirit— China 
— Medicine — Astrology — Greek— Theology — Africa  —  Thorough  Prepara- 
tion— 1 840 — Leaves  England — Goes  to  South  Africa— Condition  of  Country — 
Cape  Colony— Cape  Town— Algoa  Bay— Port  Elizabeth— Kuruman  or  Lat- 
takoo— Dr.  Moffat— Northward — Studying  Language,  etc. — Selects  Mata- 
bosa — Settles — Kindness  to  the  Natives — A  Lion  Encounter — Joins  the 
Bakwains • 45 

CHAPTER   II. 
1843—1850. 

The  Bechuanas— The  Bakwains— Sechele— His  Conversion— His  Difficulties 
—The  Government— Baptism  of  Sechele— Cross  and  Crown— Difficulties  of 
the  Wcrk— Belief  in  Rain-Making— Drought— Noble  Conduct— The  Hopo 
—Kindness  to  Livingstone— Livingstone's  Spirit— The  Boers— Slavery- 
Antagonistic  Principles — Boers  Hate  Livingstone— Sechele's  Resistance — 
Livingstone  Accused— His  Effects  Destroyed — Going  Northward— Desire 
to  find  the  Lake — Desire  to  see  Sebituane— Sekomi — The  Desert — Bush- 
men— Bakalahari — Water  Sucking — Across  the  Desert — Difficulties— Salt 
Pans — The  Zouga — Quakers  of  Africa — Lake  Ngami  Discovered — The 
Lake^ebituane — Guides    Refused — Sketch  of  the  Zouga — Elephants — 

Trees — Fish— Bayieye— Kolobeng  Again — Home-life  in  Kolobeng 58 

7 


8  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    III. 

DESERTS   AND    FORESTS. 

Livingstone's  Second  Journey  to  tlie  Lake— Pass  the  Zouga— Forests— Tsetse 
—Recross  the  Zoiigar— Lake  Ngami  Again— Hopes  of  seeing  Sebituane— 
Guides  Secured— Sickness  of  Children— Return  to  Kolobeng— Opposition  of 
Chiefs— Sebituane's  Messengersf— Third  Start— The  Old  Path— Desert- 
Guide  Wonders — Five  Terrible  Days — Water  Found — Banajoa — Guide  to 
the  Chobe—Makololo— Meets  Sebituane— Death  of  Sebituane— Discovery 
of  the  Zambesi — Returns  to  Cape — Sends  his  Family  to  England — A  New- 
Tour  Undertaken—  Party — General  Idea — Former  Occupants  of  the  Cape 
— Boers  of  the  Cape — Griquas'  Territory — Eifects  of  Mission  Work — Kuru- 
nian — Dr.  Moffat — Bible  Translation— Language — War  of  Boers — Ditficul- 
ties — Servants  Secured — Starts  North — Lion — Buffalo — Sechele's  Tour — 
Serpents— The  Ostrich— Motlasta— Belief  in  God— Salt  Pans— Koobe— 
Famished  Beasts — Livingstone's  Kindness — Tremendous  Trees — Singular 
Vitality — Civilized  vs.  Native  Hunters — Unku  and  Sunday — Difficult  Ad- 
vance—The Way  to  Cut  with  the  Axe — Wild  Animals — The  Sanshureh — 
Linyanti — May  23,  1853 — Circumcision — Appearance  of  Country. 78 

CHAPTER    IV. 

NINE   WEEKS   WITH   SEKELETU, 

Arrival  at  Linyanti — Makololo — Their  Policy — Welcome  to  Livingstone — 
Sekeletu — African  Hospitality — Ma-mochisane's  Difficulty — Livingstone 
refuses  to  Trade — His  Labors — Makololo  Ideas  of  Beauty — Manliness — 
Justice — Livingstone's  Journey  to  the  Barotse — The  Soil  along  the  Chobe 
— The  Party — Receptions — Sekeletu  loves  Coffee — Huts  and  Hats— The 
Leeambye — Animals  about  Katonga — The  Splendid  River — The  Makalaka 
— The  Contrast — Cattle  and  War — Rapids— Cataracts— Falls — No  Monu- 
ments in  Africa — The  Barotse  Valley — Fertility — Mounds — Punishment — ■ 
War  Averted— The  First  White  Man— To  the  Leeba— No  Place  for  a  Mis- 
sion— The  Wildest  of  all — Linyanti  again— For  Loando — Serious  Thoughts 
— Resolution — Outfit  for  Journey — November  11th,  1853 — Escape  from  an 
Elephaut — The  Hippopotamus — Arrival  at  Sesheke  102 

CHAPTER    V. 

TO     BALONDA. 

Sesheke— Sekeletu's  Policy — Missionary  Work— Wanting  in  Religious  Ideas 
— Duties  of  Missionary— The  Leeambye— IIip]K>])otami— Mr.  Cumming's 
Adventure- Livingstone's  Idea  of  Lions— Andersson-Lion  Confused — 
Fevers  Protracted— Unwelcome  News — Livingstone's  Wise  Plan— Libonta 
— Death  by  a  Lion — The  Camp — Cook  and  Laundry  Work — Humanity  of 
Livingstone— Beyond  Libonta— Courage— First  Act  in  Balonda— The 
Leeba — Want  of  Game— Buffalo  Hunt— Buffalo  and  three  Lions — Mambari 
Merchants— Manenko — Town  of  Sliinte— Fashions  of  Ankle  Rings— A 
Black  Scold — Manenko's  Dress — Fever,  Rain,  Hunger — Dark  Forests — 
Delays— Invitation  at  last — Medicine  Charms— A  Soldier — Balonda  Fash- 
ions-Full UndrcHH  of  Balonda  Lady — Balonda  Gentlemen — Head-dress — 
Salutations — Manenko's  Kindness 119 


CONTENTS,  9 

CHAPTER   VI. 

THROUGH    LONDA. 

Reception  at  Shinte's  Town — The  Introduction — Private  Interviews — Eti- 
quette of  the  Balonda — Love  for  Mothers — Slavery — Theft — Magic  Lantern 
— Rains — Iron-works — Flooded  Plains — A  Charming  Home— Death  and 
Desolate  Villages — Balonda  Ideas  of  a  Future  State — What  to  Preach  to 
Heathen — Troublesome  Guide — Burial  of  the  Dead — Mandans — Sioux — 
Patagonians — Bechuanas— Balonda — Sunday  with  Quendende — Beautiful 
Country — The  liotembwa — Katenia — Reception — Provisions  Presented — 
Wisdom  of  Katema — Cattle — Birds  in  Cages — Birds  and  Be.asts — Birds  and 
Spiders — Human  Spiders — Fevers  Again — Not  much  Inii)ression — Hero- 
ism of  Livingstone — La  Ice  Dilolo— Rivers  Run  Northward— Manibari  Trad- 
ers— Influence  on  Border  Tribes — Demands  of  Pay  for  Passing  Through 
Country — Expected  to  Fight — An  Ox  Given — A  Man  Demanded — Sickness 
of  Livingstone — Mutiny  in  his  Camp — Its  Cure — Men  Repent — The 
Quango  at  Last — Bashange's  Tax — Cypriano  di  Abrue's  Kindness — Portu- 
guese Possessions- Sweet  Sleep — Angels 145 


CHAPTER   VII. 

ANGOLA. 

Anxiety — A  Single  Englishman — Sickness — Mr.  Gabriel's  Kindness — Settle- 
ment of  Loanda — Portuguese  Failure — Two  Things  Unfortunate — Mako- 
lolo  at  Work — The  Ship  "  a  Town  " — Livingstone's  Relapse — Long  Illness 
— What  Might  have  Been — Slave  Trade — Slavery  in  Africa — Grounds  of 
Livingstone's  Opposition — Negligent  Cultivation  of  the  Soil — Two  Shil- 
lings a  Month — Fetich  Worship — Portuguese  Policy — Ivory  Trade — Un- 
])aid  Labor — Mania  for  Litigation — "  Big  Funer.als  " — The  Poison  Ordeal 
— Wild  Animals — The  Self-denial — Looking  E.astward — Departure  from 
Loanda — Makololo  Boastings — The  "True  Ancients" — .\  Remarkable 
Insect — Ambaca — Church  or  .Tail — Catholic  Mistake — Pungo  Andongo — 
On  the  Road — Difficulties  of  Ox-Riding — Traders — Beeswax  and  Elpphant 
Tusks — Lilii>utian  Monster — Descending  from  "Tola  Mungongo  " — Cas- 
eauge — Drunkenness — The  Quango  Again 170 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

LONDA    OU    LINDA. 

Lessons  of  Experience — Sansawe's  Demands — His  Refusal — A  Blow  on  the 
Beard — Revenge — Changing  the  Tune — Dandies  and  Belles— Lizards  and 
Snakes— Seven  Thousand  Fowls  for  Ten  Dollars— Many  Village  JIania— 
The  Seasons— Sister  of  Matiamoo— An  Ox  or  a  Man— Strategy— Trial  for 
Murder— Street  Fight— Dish  of  White  Ants— Lovely  Bed  of  Flowers— God 
in  Nature— A  Noble  Chief— Shinte's  Again— The  Leeba— Life  Once  More 
— Buffalo  Hunt — Libonta  Welcome — Thanksgiving  Service — .V  ALatrimo- 
nial  Drawback— Cajisized  in  the  Leeambye— Sekeletu  in  Full  Dress- The 
True  Ancients  in  AVhite— Promising  Opening— Preparation  for  the  Jour- 
ney—Going Eastward— Parting  Words  of  Mamire— The  Tribute  of  Faith- 
fulness    105 


10  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    IX. 

THE   NEW    EXPEDITION. 

Sckelctu's  Kindness— Explanation  of  it — Providence  in  his  Work — Novem- 
ber 3, 1855 — Terrible  8torra — Two  Hundred  Men  in  Line — The  Niagara  of 
Africa — Victoria  Falls — Kainbow  and  8ui)erstition — The  Baloka — A  Net- 
work of  Rivers — The  Explanation — Traditions — The  First  White  Man — 
Batoka  Chiefs — Batoka  Rebels — The  Eastern  Ridge — Longing  for  Quiet — 
Batoka  Generosity — A  Reception — Livingstone's  Courage — Power  of  the 
Gospel— Awe  of  White  Men — An  Incident — Missionary  Influence— Ani- 
mals— Buffalo  Bird — Rhinoceros  Bird — Soldier  Ants — White  Ants — An 
Ele})hant  Hunt — Elephant's  Character — Indian  and  African  Compared — 
Down  the  Losito 214 

CHAPTER    X. 

BORDER   TRIBES. 

The  Kafue — Longing  for  Peace — Negro  Worship — Foreign  Goods — Barbisa 
Traders — Five  Ranges— Geological  Features — Health  of  Livingstone — The 
Zambesi  again — Elephant-Hunting — Suffering  from  Heat — The  Native 
Peculiarities — Absence  of  Deformed  Persons — Continued  Friendliness — 
Adventure  with  an  Elephant — Native  Suspicions— Doubtful  Conduct — 
Peace  and  Kindness — Portuguese  Enterprise — Situation  of  Zumbo — Abun- 
dance of  Game — Wonderful  Liberality — Dancing  for  Corn — Livingstone's 
Example — Providence  in  the  Council — ^Mpende's  Favor — Slave  Trade  Ab- 
horred— Across  the  Zambesi — Sand  River— Game  Laws — Elevated  Huts — 
Hyena  Scourge — Overflow  of  the  Zambesi— Appreciation  of  Gifts 238 

CHAPTER    XI. 

CniCOVA    TO   TKTE. 

District  of  Chicova — Agriculture— Game  Laws — Banyai  Prayers — Makololo 
Faith — Insect  Life — Birds — Their  Songs— Squirrel — Geological  Features — 
Grapes — Plums — Animal  liife— Superstition  about  Lions — The  Korwe — A 
Model  Husband — Helpful  Facts— Government  of  the  Banyai— Selecting 
Chiefs — Monina's  Opposition — Fight  Tiircatcned— Sudden  Derangement 
— Con.science  at  Work— "  A  Guilt"— An  Ordeal— Woman's  Rights— The 
Son-in-Law — Dignity  of  Woman — Good  Husbands,  Bad  Hunters— The 
Pkhinoceros — Andersson's  Adventure— Terrible  P^ncounter — Rhinoceros 
Among  Beasts — Villages  Avoided— Nearing  Tcte — Livingstone  Emaciated 
— Eii,'ht  Allies  Only — A  Retrospect — A  Prospect — Noble  Picture — Arrival 
of  Messengers— Civilizwl  Breakfixst — Reception  at  Tete— The  Source  of 
the  Zambesi  Unknown — The  Value  of  the  Discovery 258 

CHAPTER    XII. 

THE   PORTUGUESE   POSSESSIONS. 

Tlie  Village  of  Tete— Inhabitants— Gold  Washings— Slave  Trade,  Evil  Ef- 
fects of — Decadence  of  Portuguese  Power — Superstitions  of  Tete — English 
Calico — Articles  of  Exi)ort — Gold — Coal — Value  of  Gold  Dust— Appearance 
of  Country — Method  of  (Cultivating  the  Soil— Agriculture  Neglected — Hot 
Springs — Peox>le  Favorable  to  Euglishoien — Cause  of  Portuguese  Failure — 


CONTENTS.  11 

Leaves  Tete — Nyaiule's  Stockade — The  Gorge  of  Lupata — Senna— The 
Landeens  or  Zulus— Misery  of  Senna— Surrounding  Country — The  Shire 
^Kiliinane — Livingstone's  Object — His  Theory  of  Mission  Work — His 
Hopes  for  Africa — Arrival  of  the  "  Frolic  "—Disposition  of  Ivory — Parts 
with  his  Followers — Sekwebu — In  the  Boats — On  Board  the  Ship — Insanity 
and  Death  of  Sekwebu — Arrival  at  Mauritius — Dear  Old  England — For- 
bidden Scenes — Public  Honors — The  Single  Desire 277 


CHAPTER   Xlil. 

AT   HOME. 

Meeting  on  January  5th — Egyptian  Hall — Splendid  Assembly — Speech  of 
Lord  Mayor — Speech  of  Bishop  of  London — Speech  of  Sir  Roderick  Mur- 
chison — Livingstone's  Response — Resolutions — Subscription — Travels  in 
IZngland — Public  Enthusiasm — Public  Meeting  in  Manchester — Resolu- 
tions— Public  Meeting  at  Leeds — Addresses  and  Resolutions — Generous 
Rivalry  of  Cities  and  Institutions — ^Presentation  of  the  Freedom  of  London 
to  Livingstone — Distinguished  Personages — Complimentary  Addresses — 
Tremendous  Applause — A  Beautiful  Casket — Imposing  Ceremony — Book- 
Writing — Difficulties — Surprised  by  the  Appearance  of  a  Bogus  Book — 
Explanation — Announcement  of  Dr.  Livingstone's  Book — Twentieth  Thou- 
sand in  Six  Weeks — Press  Comments — Extract  from  the  London  Leader 
of  that  Date — Effects  of  the  Book— Interest  in  Commercial  Prospects  of 
Africa — Interest  in  Missions — Action  of  Missionary  Societies — Invitations 
to  Oxford  and  Cambridge — Grand  Assembly  at  Cambridge — The  Reception 
of  Livingstone,  According  to  Professor  Sedgwick — Reception  of  War 
Veterans— Of  Chancellors — Of  the  Queen — None  More  Hearty  than  that 
of  Livingstone 292 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

LECTURE   BEFORE   CAMBRIDGE   UNIVERSITY. 

[Delivered  before  the  University  of  Cambridge,  in  the  Senate-House,  on 
Friday,  December  4,  1857.  Dr.  Philpott,  Master  of  St,  Catharine's  Col- 
lege, Vice-Chancellor,  in  the  chair.  The  building  was  crowded  to  excess 
with  all  ranks  of  the  University  and  their  friends.  The  reception  was  so 
enthusiastic  that  literally  there  were  volley  after  volley  of  cheers] 30? 

CHAPTER   XV. 

AGAIN    IN    AFRICA. 

Results  of  Efforts  at  Universities — Univei'sities'  Mission — Livingstone  Ap- 
pointed British  Consul— Interview  with  the  Queen— Reasons  for  Accent- 
ing the  Governmental  Appointment — Love  for  his  Mother — Care  of  her — 
Government  Appropriation — The  Farewell  Banquet — Distinguished  As- 
sembly— Speeches — Sir  Roderick  Murchison — Livingstone's  Address — 
Arrangements  Completed — Members  of  the  Expedition — The  Steam 
Launch— Ihe  "Pearl"— The  Departure  from  England— Livingstone's 
Responsibility — What  the  Government  Expected — Letters  by  the  Way — 
Arrival  at  the  Mouth  of  the  Zambesi 315 


12  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

AKRIVAL   AT   TETE. 

Portuguese  and  the  Zambesi — Posterity's  Ai)i)lause— The  Explanation  of  the 
Outlet — The  Kongone— The  Bar — The  L'ouutry— Timidity  of  Natives— 
The  Fertility  of  Soil — The  Natives'  Curiosity— Their  Cupidity — The  Chan- 
nel— The  Departure  of  the  "  Pearl " — The  First  Work — Mazaro — Excite- 
Hieat — Livingstone's  Courage — Jlariano's  Cruelty — The  Zulus — Their  Tax 
— Their  (Character,  Hospitality,  etc. — Zulu  Lawyer— Shupanga — The  Grave 
Under  the  Baobab — Reception  at  Seuua — Seuhor  Ferraro — Arrival  at  Tete 
—"We  will  Sleep  To-night." 32'^ 

CHAPTER    XVII. 

THE   KEBRABASA    RAPIDS. 

The  Journey  to  the  Kebrabasa — Kebrabasa  Range — General  Appearance — 
Breadth — Pressure  of  Water — Portuguese  Ignorance — Bauyai  impositions 
— "Dreadful  Rough  "  Night — Camp  Scenes — A  Camp  Story — The  ilorn- 
ing — Climbing  Still — Sleep  of  Exhaustion — Makololo  Distrust — Mount 
Morumbwa— A  Perpetual  Barrier — Return  to  Tete— Scenes  in  Tete — 
Superstition — The  Teaching  of  Nature— Holiness — Christmas  in  Africa — 
The  Climax  of  Absurdities — The  Rainy  Season — The  Portuguese  Recourse 
—A  Serious  Matter— The  Help  for  Fever— The  Shire 341 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 

THE  SHIRE. 

Hoath  of  the  Shire — Difficulties  Vanish— "  Englishman"— Shire  Valley — 
African  Swamp — Livingstone's  Art— Mount  Jlorambala— Mountain  Vil- 
lage—Chikanda — Two  Pythons — Pursued  by  a  Buli'alo — The  Steamer — A 
Sinking  Ship — No  Note  of  Time— The  Musician — IIippoj)otamus  Traps — 
Sliire  Marshes— Water-fowl — Kites  and  Vultures — Forest  of  Palm  Trees — 
Islands  of  the  Shire — An  Unhapj)y  Chief — Village  of  Chibisa — Chibisa — 
— Lake  Shirwa — Sympathy  of  Fools — Discovery  of  Lake  Shirwa— Return 
to  the  Shi|i — Ex^jedition  to  Lake  Nyassa— Manganja  Hills — Village  of 
Chilimba— The  Manganja  People — Agriculture— Cotton — Manufactures- 
Iron  Ore— Native  Trade— The  Upper  Lip  Ring— Beer  Drinking— Drunken 
Villages— The  Muave  Again— Faith— Nyassa  Discovered— Return  to  Tete..  3GI 

CHAPTER    XIX. 

JOURNEYS   OF   HONOR. 

Regard  for  Obligations— Busy  Preparations— ^Market  Prices  at  Tete— Singu- 
lar Measures— Social  Turn— Evening  Gatherings— Peculiar  ''  Tea-Pariies" 
— Makololo  Objections  to  Leaving  Tete — Their  Gains  and  Losses— The 
Outfit— Journey  Begun— Linyanti—Sekeletu— The  Mission— Graves~Ex- 
])lanation  of  Failure— Livingstone's  Confidence- Hope  Unshaken— Mako- 
lolo Faithfulness — .\ttent ions— Growing  Disalfection — Seaward  Again — 
Tete— The  Kongone— The  "  Pioneer  "  Arrives— The  Rovuma— Return  to 
tlie  Shire— The  "University's  Mission  "—Their  Misfortunes— War  Pre- 
vailing—The Slave-Trad"— Lake  Nyassa— The  Lake  Tribes— Shupanga 
— Death  of  Mrs.  Livingstone 392 


CONTENTS.  1^ 

CHAPTER    XX. 

THE   BEGINNING   OF   THE   END. 

Zambesi  Expedition  Unsatisfactory— Zanzibar— Trade  from  Zanzibar— The 
Outfit- Rovuraa  Bay — Kinduny — The  Makonde — Remarkable  Vefjetatioa 
— Cutting  Right  Valiantly — Rage  for  Doctorship— Mohannnedan  Intlnenoe 
— Lying  Guides — Along  the  Rovuma — Troubles  with  Followers — Gum- 
Copal  Tree — Extravagant  Tattooing — Top  of  the  Fashion — At  Nyoniano — 
The  Slave-Trade — The  Makoa — A  Woman  Rescued — Horrors  of  the  Trade 
in  Slaves — Currency  for  Africa— Extracts  from  Journal— A  Deserted' 
Village — A  Model  Town  of  Africa 415 

CHAPTER    XXI.     ' 

APPROACHING    NYASSA. 

A  Guest  of  ifataka — The  Waiyau— Livingstone  and  the  Arabs— The  Town 
of  Moembe — Iron  Snielting— Causes  of  Desolation — Waiyau  Described — 
Livingstone's  Desires— Slave-Trade  :  Does  it  Pay  ? — Sepoys  sent  back — 
Mountains — Springs — Iron — Approaching  Nyassa — Livingstone's  Review 
of  his  Route— The  Watershed— Geological  Formations— Kindness  of  the 
People — Tli€  Single  Curse — An  Examjde  of  Christians — Inconvenience  of 
being  English — Arabs  as  Settlers — A  Doubtful  Question  Settled— Pota 
Mimba— Around  the  Foot  of  the  Lake— No  Earthquake  Known — Sites  of 
Old  Villages — Brooks — The  First  Euroj)ean  Seen — "God  Took  Him" — 
Wikatani  Finds  Relatives — Salt-Making — Eighty-five  Slaves  in  a  Pen — 
Work  Honorable 445 

CHAPTER    XXII. 

ABOUT   NYASSA. 

Geological  Notes— The  JIarenga— Livingstone  Preaehing—Sniall-Pox  — In- 
veterate Thieves — Kirk's  Range — Love  Token — Black-haired  Sheep — 
Earthquakes— .\  Toper  Chief— A  Royal  Escort — Whooping-Cough-The 
Hottest  Month — Methods  of  Fertilization— No  Animals — Bows  and  Ar- 
rows— Lip-Ring — A  Prophetic  Cow — Iron  Works — Village  of  Smiths — 
Alarm  of  Mazitu — Native  Furnaces — Livingstone's  Patience — A  Disagree- 
able Head  Man — Level  Country — Portuguese  Travellers — A  Herd  of  Buf- 
faloes—Industry— Wild  Figs— A  Formidable  Stockade— Trying  News — 
A  Steady  Faith 463 

CHAPTER    XXIII. 

A    JIONTH   OF    WANT. 

Days  of  Anxiety — Manganja  Blood — Manganja  and  Waiyau — Artisans — Na- 
tive Agriculture— Beautiful  Scenery— Iron  Trade— An  Elephant  Hunter 
— Difficulties — Carriers — Livingstone's  Love  for  Nature— Memories— No 
Food— A  Sjilendid  Valley  of  Lilies— Stockades — Sunday  at  Zeore — Rain- 
Making— The  Slave  Idea  in  East  Africa — Hedges  of  Bamboo — Bark  Cloth 
— Huts  for  the  Spirits  of  the  Dead— Contrasts  in  Character — Forests  and 
Rains— Beautiful  Animals — The  Zebra  very  Beautiful — The  Loangwa — 
Bad  for  Worse— The  Babisa— A  Miserable  Set— Sorrows  Multiplied— A 


14  CONTENTS. 

Mopane  Forest— Nyarmazi— Trading  with  a  Woman— Loss  of  Goats— Ex- 
perience with  a  Guide— The  Hills  Again— Bee  Hunters— Want,  Want, 
Want!— Noble  Utterances— "  Always  Hungry  "-Elephant  Hunting— 
Sivw'd   ifwrtan^- Desolate   Land— No    Bread— Hunger— Escape  from  a 

Cobra The  Loss  of  the  Dog — Mushrooms — All  the  Medicine  Lost — The 

Worst  of  All— Livingstone's  Gentleness—"  Real  Biting  Hunger  "—Beads 
as  Currency — The  Chambeseat  Last 482 

CHAPTER   XXIV. 

FROM   LAKE   TO   LAKE. 

Chitapanga's  Stockade— An  Offering  Required— Audience  with  the  Chief- 
Ceremony  of  Introduction— Chitapanga  as  he  was— Some  Trouble— Lying 
Interpreters— Arab  Trad'ers— Letters  Sent  Home— Quits  Chitapanga's— 
The  Chiefs  Parting  Oath— Appearance  of  Country-Troublesome  Customs 
—Suspicion  of  the  Chiefs— A  Familiar  Trick -Eagerness  for  Trade— 
Bloamba  at  Home— Chief  and  Judge— The  Moemba— The  Hopo— Bows 
and  Arrows— ///ness — Kasonso's  Reception— Assaulted  by  Ants— Cotton 
— Lake  Liemba  — Palm  Oil  — The  Balungu  — Severe  Illness— Arabs— 
Cliitbnba's  Village — A  Long  Delay— Nsama— The  Baulungu — Industries 
—Cupping— Charms— Dull  Life— Slave-Trade— Little  Things— A  Large 
Spider— At  Hara— Reception  at  Nsama's— A  Bride  in  Style—"  Tipo  Tipo  " 
— "  Kumba  Kumba  "—/towa— Desertion— Slavery  Question— Different 
Motives — Arabs  on  the  March — Arab  Traders^— A  Fantastic  Party — Potency 
of  Sneers  in  Africa — Delays — Lake  Moero  at  Last 507 

CHAPTER    XXV. 

A   MONTH    WITH    CASEMBE. 

Moero — Bound  for  Caserabe — Kalongosi — Abundance  of  Fish — Dr.  Lacerda 
— The  Balonda — Enter  Casembe's  Village — Graciously  Received — Mo- 
hamad bin  Saleh — Notes  from  Journal — Zofu,  King's  Fool—"  Casembe," 
General — Plis  Character — Customs — Land  Claims — Hand-Shaking — Letter 
to  Lord  Clarendon — Descriptive  Resume — Sickness — Leaves  Casembe — 
Bound  for  Ujiji — Mohamad  bin  Saleh  his  Companion — Hunger — Illness 
—Last  Day  of  18C7— A  Touching  Record 5.3r 

CHAPTER    XXVI. 

1868. 

"  Only  Water  "—Native  Indifference— Charms  of  Moero — Lake  Scenery- 
Indifference  of  Arabs — Covetousness — The  Only  Lesson  Learned — Kab- 
wabwati — Dreadful  March— Evils  of  being  with  Arabs — Livingstone's  In- 
fluence— Thieving  Slaves — A  Dead  Halt — Long  Delay — Yankees  of  Africa 
— Duplicity  of  Mohamad— Desertion  of  Followers— Livingstone's  Charity 
— Questionable  Charity— .Justice  as  well  as  Mercy— Arab  Troublq-makcrs 
— Mohammedanism  Not  Taught — Not  Adapted  to  Elevate  Heathen — 
C'hri^lianity  a  Missionary  Creed — Powerlessness  of  Ceremonies — Power  of 
the  Word— Africans  Curious  and  Cautions— They  Need  the  Gospel— Obli- 
gation of  Christians — Dulness  of  Kabwabwati — Livingstone  turns  South — 
Arrives  at  Casembe's— Cordial  Reception — Pleasing  Recollections— Dc- 
iiverancea— Leopard  Huut— ^  Dincovcry — Cropped- L'arcd  Feat — Casembe's 


CONTENTS.  15 

Kindness— Mohamad  Bogharib— Starting  for  Lake  Bemba— Discovery  of 
the  Great  Lake— DeBcrii)tioii  of  it— Lake  Surroundings— Wanyamwezi— 
Kortliward  Again  —  Commotions — War  —  Delays— Reach  Kabwabwati— 
Abominations  of  Slave-Trade— Battle— Evils  in  Camp — Wanyamwezi 
Women  During  a  Battle — Weariness— Christmas,  January  31st,  1868 oj7 

CHAPTER    XXVIl. 

UJIJI. 

Severe  Illness— Thoughts  and  Memories— Some  Good  in  All— Mohamad  Bog- 
luirib's  Kindness- Dr.  Livingstone  too  111  to  Walk— Sufferings  in  being 
Carried— Arrival  at  Ujiji — Hardships  Endured — Disapirointment- Goods 
Stoleu—Ujiji— Products  of  the  District— Market-Place—Wajiji's  Saluta- 
tions—Head Ornamentation— Formal  Introductions— Tattooing— A  Repre- 
sentative Wajiji — Ornaments — Superstition— Superstitious  Customs — Re- 
fusal to  Carry  Letters— A  Den  of  Thieves— Thani  bin  Suellim— Manyuema 
Country  —  Religiously  Villanous ?  —  Bambarre  —  Expert  Hunters  —  The 
Great  Chief— The  Covenant  of  Peace— How  Arabs  keep  Covenants- 
Mockery  of  Superstition— '* Liliputian  Monsters"— A  Pygmean  Battle- 
Amazed*  at  Guns- An  Elephant  Hunt.— Unsatisfactory 479 

CHAPTER   XXVIll. 

MANYUEMA. 
Manyuema  Country— The  ParamountChief— Independent  Villages— Living- 
stone's   Object— Leaves    Bambarre-Westward— Splendid    Scenery— Vil- 
lages  Architecture    of   Manyuema— Character  of  the    People — Hidden 

Villages— Curiosity  of  Villagers— Evil  Influence  of  Traders— Prejudices 
Aroused— Return  to  Bambarre— Ujiji  Hood— Five  Hundred  Gitn«— Liv- 
ingstone's Companion— Sets  out  from  Bambarre  Second  Time— Appearance 
of  Country— Huts  in  Trees— Elephant  Traps— Bloody  Feuds— Omnipresent 
Love— Newly  Married  Couple— Dreadful  Swamps— Timely  Hospitality- 
Promise  of  Letter— Hindered  Again— Slave-Traders'  Barbarities— Dreadful 
Murders— Katoma's  Camp— Deserted  by  Followers— Three  only  Faithful 
—Singing  Frog— A  Nursing  Fish— Musicians— Livingstone's  Resolution— 
Chuma,  Susi  and  Gardner— A  Man  Killed— Meets  Mohamad  Bogharib— 
A  New  Affliction— Disappointment^Return  to  Bambarre— Long  Sickness 
—Manyuema  Dreadful  Cannibals-Bloodthirsty— Delight  in  Murder— 
The  <S'o/.o— Soko  Hunt— Soko  and  Leopard-Soko  and  Lion— "Soko  is  a 
Man"— Impatience— Despondency— Hope  Revived— Men  and  Letter  Ar- 
rive from  Zanzibar— New  Difficulties— Trouble  with  New  Men— Another 
Start— Conscience  Clear— His  Plan— His  Longing— A  Young  Soko— On 
New  Ground  — Charming  Scenery— Village  Happiness  — Trials  — The 
Lualabaat  Last *^ 

CHAPTER   XXIX. 

FOUR   MONTHS   AT   NYANGWE. 

The  Lualaba— Abed  and  Ilassani— The  Temper  of  the  Traders— Livingstone's 
Situation- The  Difficulty— Writing  Materials— Nyangwe  Market- Women 
—Old  and  Young— The  Market  Scenes— Eagerness  for  Barter— Indepen- 
dence of  Women- Ten  Human  Skulls— Cannibalism-Difficulty  of  get- 


,'1-6  CONTENTS. 

ting  a  Canoe — Ivory — The  Bakuss — A  Characteristic  Manoeuvre — Baknas' 
Opinion  of  Guns — Arabs'  Idea  of  Business — A  Fiendish  Plot — Dugunibe — 
No  Assistance — Wonderful  Underground  Houses — The  People  of  Rua — 
"  Ileartbrokenness" — Disappointed  Utterly — Beautiful  Picture  Blighted 
— Dreadful  Slaughter — Three  Hundred  and  Forty  Dead — Superwickedness 
— Too  Much  to  Bear — Resolved  to  Return — Importuned  by  the  Natives — 
Determined — Providence  in  the  Disappointment — Providence  in  all  Things 
— Precious  Interests — A  Despatch — James  Gordon  Bennett,  Jr. — Henry 
M.  Stanley 618 

CHAPTER    XXX. 

THE    DELIVERANCE. 

Mr.  Stanley  at  Zanzibar — Selecting  Followers — African  Currency — Curiosity 
Unsatisfied— "Speke's  Faithfuls" — Bagamoyo — The  Mrima — The  Fron- 
tier of  Barbarism— The  Baloch— The  Wamrima— The  Half-Caste  Arab- 
Reception  at  Bagamoyo — The  Jesuit  ^lission — Mr.  Stanley's  House — 
Great  Preparations— Mr.  Stanley  and  others — The  Route  Selected — On  the 
5Iarch — First  Hunt— The  Wakwere — The  Wadoe — Beautiful  Scenery — 
"Envious  Evil" — The  Waseguhha — Handsome  Savage — The  Wagogo— ^ 
Death  and  Marriage — Penalties  of  JIurder  and  Theft — News  of  Dr.  Living- 
stone— A  Difficulty — Murder  Attempted — Providence 642 

CHAPTER    XXXI. 

UNYANYEMBE. 

Traditions  of  Unyamwezi— The  Appearance  of  the  Country — The  Soil — 
"  Fairy  ^founts  " — Villages — The  Wanyarnwezi — Sons  of  Ham — Lovers  of 
Music— Maiden  Fondness  for  Display — Tea-Parties — Matronly  Gossip — 
The  Club-Rooms — Masculine  Vanity — Home  Life  in  Unyamwezi — The 
Houses— The  Furniture— Dining  Hall— "  Sweet  Earth" — Popular  Preju- 
dices—Food of  Wanyarnwezi — Family  Affection — Woman's  Rights — Love 
and  Law — Wanyarnwezi,  their  Prominence — Great  Travellers — The  "  Car- 
riers "  of  East  Africa — Varying  Character — Unyanyembe  Central  Province 
— Arab  Settlement — Mr.  Stanley's  Reception — Sayd  bin  Salim— Stanley's 
House— Munificent  Hospitality— Visitors  from  Tabora— Tabora  Village — 
Arab  Luxury — Prominent  Arabs  of  Tabora— Jlr.  Stanley  Visits  Tabora 
— The  Council  of  War — Mirambo — An  Unhappy  Alliance — Sickness — 
Climate  of  Unyanyembe— The  Battle  Array— Disaster  and  Retreat— Glad 
to  Quit — Tables  Turned — The  "  Flying  Caravan  "—A  Weeping  Ixiver — On 
the  March  Again — Man;;ara — Grand  Recejition  of  Chiefs — A  Jolly  Time — 
The  .\mmonia  Bottle  Uncorked — .\n  Impression  Made — Splendid  Game- 
Park— Two  Days'  Hunting— Trouble  in  Camp— A  Revolt— A  Dreadful  Plot 
—The  Pledge— Mrcra •  66C 

CHAPTER    XXXll. 

THE    MEETING. 

Approaching  Each  Other— The  Spirit  of  the  Man— "A  Good  Heart"— 
Adequacy  of  Christian  Kindness — Africa  for  (~'hrist — Effigies  of  Men — .V 
lipsson  Learned — Mistake  the  JIan — The  Ambuscade — .\  Third  Deliver- 
ance—A Good  Omen — No  Vengeance — The  Leopard — Weary  and  Iridif- 


CONTENTS.  1 7 

ferent — Painful  Reflections — "Little  Better  than  a  Skeleton  " — Dreiulfiil 
Disappointment — Th<;  Good  Samaritan — Mr.  Stanley's  Caravan  — "  Tiiat 
2;{d  Day  of  October  " — Good  News — A  Forced  March — The  Tanganyika 
at  Last — The  First  View  of  the  Lake — Special  Charms  for  Stanley — The 
Approach — "  Good-Morning,  Sir" — "  Who  the  Mischief  are  You?" — The 
Meeting— The  Conversation — The  P^evelation  Made — "  God  Never  Failed 
Ilim  " — The  Rest  Medicine— A  Cruise  on  the  Lake— No  Outlet  Found— 
"  I  Must  Finish  my  Task." 677 

CHAPTER    XXXlll. 

A    JOURNEY    AND    A    DKLAY. 

From  Ujiji  to  Unyanyembe — Livingstone  a  Companion — Route  Adopted — 
Forest  Entertainment — Methods  of  Hunting — Makombwe  Hunting  Hip- 
popotamus— Baker's  Rhinoceros  Hunt — Wild  Race — "A  Horse !  a  Horse !  " 
— Sword  wins  the  Day — Stanley  as  Hunter — Tent- Life — Arrive  at  Kwihara 
— Home-Life — Busy  Preparations — Livingstone  Abundantly  Provided  for 
— Farewell  of  Wanyamwezi — A  Wild  Dance — The  Farewell  Song — The 
Parting — Bagamoyo  Again — The  English  Expedition — Oswald  Living- 
stone— Caravan  Sent  Back — The  Mission  Completed — England,  Living- 
stone, Stanley,  the  World — Comfort  in  Disappointment — Livingstone  in 
Unyanyembe — His  Occupation — His  Modesty — PHs  Zeal  for  Missions — 
The  Country  Inviting — A  Robinson  Crusoe  Life  -The  Mothers  of  the 
Country — The  Call  to  Missionaries — ''Advice  to  Missionaries" — "  No  Jug- 
glery or  Sleight-of-hand  " — Livingstone's  Interest  General — Grasp  a*id 
Minuteness — Suspense  Ended — Stanley  in  England — The  Queen's  Acknowl- 
edgment  « 700 

CHAPTER    XXXIV. 

THE    LAST   JOUKNEY. 

The  Plans  of  Livingstone— Route  Proposed — The  March  Begun — Ijiving- 
stone's  Carefulness  of  Observation — A  Reliable  Observer — Indifference  of 
Livingstone  to  Danger — A  Charmed  Life — Better  Judges — A  Midnight 
Encounter — The  Old  Disease — The  Shores  of  Tanganyika — Cotton  Culti- 
vated— Hunting  a  Business — Ominous  Silence — Lake  Liemba — The  Slave 
Trade — Zombe — Beneficent  Disappointments — Donkeys  and  the  Tset.se — 
The  Kalongosi — Nsama  and  Caseni be— Flood  and  Flowers— Beautiful 
Emblems — A  Flooded  Country  —  Great  Hardships — Fording  Rivers — 
Livingstone  Carried  by  his  Men — Island  Villages — The  I^ast  Birthday — 
Resolution  —  Sufferings  and  Longings — Six  Feet  Rain-Fall!— Fishes — 
Sinking  Rapidly — Utterly  Exhausted— Kindness  of  Muanazawamba — The 
Last  Written  Words — Carried  on  a  Kitanda— The  Last  Mile — The  Last 
Words — Death 725 

CHAPTER    XXXV. 

BURIAL   AT    WESTMINSTER    ABBEY. 

The  Acknowledgment— Anxieties  of  the  Men— The  Council— Chuma  and 
Susi— Chitambo's  Kindness— Native  Honors  to  the  Dead -Hut  where  tiie 
Body  was   Prepared— The  Materials  for  Preparing  the  Body— A  Special 


752 


18  CONTENTS. 

Mourner— The  Embalmment— The  Inscription— Preparation  for  Departing 
—Promises  of  Chitambo— Route  of  Boys— Severe  Trials— The  Luapula— 
Crossing— An  Old  Servant — An  Accident — Native  Surgery— "An  Unfortu- 
i>ate  Afiair"— The  Fight— The  Results— The  Excuse— Objection  to  Flags 
—The  Kalongosi— In  the  Old  Path— The  Lake— New  Scenes— Easier 
Route  to  Unyanyembe— The  News  Received— Resolution  of  the  Men— 
Justifiable  Deception— A  Dreadful  Snake— Arrival  at  gagamoio- The 
Precious  Freight— The  Kilwa— Reception  in  England— Identification- 
Burial 

APPENDIX. 

Discouragements— Recent  Successes  of  Explorers— Revival  of  Interest- 
Commercial  Importance— Familiar  Trees  of  North  and  West  Africa— Trop- 
ical Africa— General  Appearance — South  African  Forests— Lumber  Ex- 
ports—Excellence of  Soil— Cotton,  Coffee,  etc.— Mineral  Resources— Gold 
Mines— Coi>per  Mines— Diamond  Fields— The  Ivory  Trade— Commerce  of 
West  Coast— The  Slave  Trade— Baker's  Work— Slave  Traders  Classified- 
Slaves  Classified— Sources  of  the  Trade  Classified— Total  Annual  Traffic  in 
Slaves— Theories  for  Suppression— The  Tendency  of  Events— Not  an  Ab- 
stract Question— Slavery  has  had  its  Mission— The  Nations  Against  It — 
Providence  in  the  Revolution— The  Nile— Baker— Speke— Livingstone— 
Missions— The  Former  Successes— General  Influence- The  Prospect 787 


LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


1.  Portrait  of  Dr.  Livingstone.    (From  a.T[)hotograi->\\)...F-rontispicce  2 

2.  Egyptian  Akchway 25 

3.  Amazon  WARraoRS 35 

4.  Rivals 39 

5.  Abyssinian  Horseman 41 

6.  Farm  Scene  in  the  Cape  Country 49 

7.  Encounter  with  the  Lion 5-5 

8.  Driving  Game 61 

9.  The  Pit 6.5 

10.  Bushman's  Camp 69 

11.  Mission  Station,  Kolobeng 73 

12.  Houses 77 

13.  Sebituane SI 

14.  Shooting  Ostrich 89 

15.  Land  of  Cummings'  Famous  Hunts 93 

16.  Bakalahabi  Feast 93 

17.  The  Giraffe 99 

18.  Scene  on  the  Leeambye 109 

19.  War-Dance  by  Torchlight 113 

20.  Hippopotami  at  Home 123 

21.  Lion  Encounter 127 

22.  African  Lion 131 

23.  African  Buffaloes 137 

24.  Burial  Place 151 

2  19 


20  LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIO^^S. 

25.  A  Village  of  Angola 163 

26.  Home  Sckne  in  Angola. 1G7 

27.  St.  Paul  de  Loanda 171 

28.  Fishing  Scene  in  Angola 181 

29.  Compulsory  Service  in  Angola ISl 

30.  Mole  Cricket 194 

31.  Katema 205 

32.  Victoria  Falls 219 

33.  Head  of  Black  Rhinoceros 229 

34.  Gnu 229 

35.  "White  Ant's  Nest 233 

.30.  Stag  Beetle 237 

37.  Taking  Hippopotamus  from  the  Water 243 

38.  Hippopotamus  Trap 243 

39.  Surprised  by  Buffaloes 251 

40.  Rhinoceros  Charge 2G9 

41.  Shooting  Rhinoceros 273 

42.  Ant  Bear 285 

43.  Chifura  and  Kangomba 285 

44.  Cricket 321 

45.  Denizens  of  the  Shiee 327 

46.  Zulu  Traders 333 

47.  Zulu  Lawyer 337 

48.  A  Jungle  Scene— Leopard  and  Ant-Eater 345 

49.  The  Great  Baobab 355 

50.  Monkeys  in  Their  Element 3C5 

51.  Caracal 371 

52.  Flamingoes  on  Their  Nests 371 

53.  Zulu  Women 375 

.04.  Palm  Tree 375 

55,  Manganja  Belle 385 

66.  A  Caffre  Bride 3S5 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS.  21 

57.  Crocodile  of  Nyassa 40ci 

58.  Gkave  of  Mks.  Livingstone 409 

59.  Mission  Chapel  on  the  Shire 414 

60.  Afkican  Jungle 423 

61.  Slavees  Revenging  Theie  Losses 43.5 

62.  Left  to  Theie  Fate 439 

63.  Axe,  etc 445 

64.  Adze,  etc 4G2 

65.  Knife  and  Assagai  Heads 4G7 

60.  Bechuana  Knives 467 

67.  Apron 4(i7 

68.  Ornaments  made  of  Monkeys'  Teeth 4G7 

69.  Ant  Hills 477 

70.  Zebras 491 

71.  Sword  Hunting 499 

72.  Chitapanga  Eeceiving  Dr.  Livingstone 509 

73.  Scenery  neab  Lake  Liemba 517 

74.  Arrival  of  Hamee's  Bride 529 

75.  Cascades  of  the  Aeasy 511 

76.  Casembe  in  State  Dress 549 

77.  A  Forest  Grave ouQ 

78.  Scene  on  Lake  Moero 559 

79.  Caffre  Leopard  Hunt 509 

80.  Surprised  by  Elephants 509 

81.  Mountain  of  Monkeys 583 

82.  Flight  of  Locusts 583 

83.  Chuma  and  Susi 003 

84.  Manyuema  Hunters  Killing  Sokos  (from  a  sketch  by  Dr.  Living- 

stone)   611 

85.  Necklace  made  of  Human  Finger-Bones 617 

86.  Portion  of  Livingstone's  Journal,  when  AVriting-Paper  and 

Ink  had  failed 621 


22  IJST    OF    ILLUSTRATIOXS. 

87.  Midnight  Conflict  with  a  Leopard 631 

SS.  Massacke  of  the  Manyuema  Women  at  Nyangwe 635 

89.  Hunting  Hippopotami 649 

90.  The  Manyuema  Ambuscade 681 

91.  A  Dangerous  Prize 685 

92.  Forest  Scene 689 

93.  Stanley  meeting  Livingstone 695 

94.  Ehinoceros  Hunt 705 

95.  Wanyamwezi  Farewell  Dance 711 

96.  An  Encampment 711 

97.  "The  Main  Stream  came  up  to  Susi's  Mouth." /33 

98.  Fac  simile  of  Last  Journal  Entry 739 

99.  The  Last  Mile 745 

100.  Evening— Ilala 749 

101.  Temporary  Village  in  which  Dr.  Livingstone's  Body  was 

prepared 755 

102.  An  old  Servant  destroyed 761 

103.  Livingstone's  Mosquito  CurTxIin 761 

104.  Kawende  Surgery 765 

105.  Catching  Ants 765 

106.  Jacob  Wainwright  with  Livingstone's  Body  at  Aden 779 

107.  Egyptian  Lady 799 

108.  Heads 57 

100.  Heads 786 


INTRODUCTION. 


Early  Civilization  in  Northern  Africa — The  Limit  of  the  Ancient  Civilization- 
Theatre  of  Mythology — Saracen  Conquest — Settlement  of  Soudan — Mohamme- 
dan Failure— The  Fifteenth  Century— Gilianez  Passed  Cape  Bojador— Portu- 
guese Eflbrts  on  the  West  Coast — Roman  Catholicism — The  Failure — England 
and  France — Pwiehard  Jobson — Mungo  Park — Denham  and  Clapperton — 
Richard  Lander  Dispels  the  Niger  Mystery — Kingdoms  on  the  West — Da- 
homey, Ashantee,  etc. — The  Cape  Settlement — Vasco  de  Gama — The  Settle- 
ment of  Natal  by  the  English — Lieutenant  Christopher — Abyssinia  and  the 
Nile — Bruce  and  Dr.  Beke— The  Nile  Mystery  as  it  Stands — The  Unknown — 
Livingstone. 

In  those  remote  ages,  when  the  Mesopotamiau  plain  is  repre- 
sented in  Scripture  history  as  little  more  than  a  wide  and  open 
common,  the  northern  shores  of  Africa  sustained  a  powerful  and 
splendid  civilization.  "  When  Greece  was  under  the  tumultuary 
sway  of  a  number  of  petty  chieftains.  Homer  already  celebrates 
the  hundred  gates  of  Thebes  and  the  mighty  hosts  which  in 
warlike  array  issued  from  them  to  battle."  Before  the  faintest 
dawn  of  science  had  illumined  the  regions  of  Euro[>e,  the  valley 
of  the  Nile  was  the  abode  of  learning  and  distinguished  for  its 
incomparable  works  in  sculpture,  painting  and  architecture. 
"And  while  Egypt  was  thus  preeminent  in  knowledge  and  art, 
Carthage  equally  excelled  in  commerce  and  in  the  wealth  pro- 
duced by  it,  and  rose  to  a  degree  of  power  that  enabled  her  to 
hold  long  suspended  between  herself  and  Rome  the  scales  of 
universal  empire." 

Carthage  sunk  amid  a  blaze  of  glory  in  her  grand  struggle  with 
Eome,  toward  which  falling  kingdoms  of  all  later  time  have 
looked  with  envy.  And  the  land  of  the  Pharaohs,  whose  alter- 
nate splendor  and  slavery  had  been  the  admiration  and  astonish- 
ment of  the  ages,  came  also  at  length  under  the  hand  of  the 
Ctesars.  The  fostering  republic  soon  rekindled  the  fires  which 
the  tide  of  war  had  extinguished,  and  Northern  Africa  was  still 
opulent  and  enlightened,  "boasting  its  sages,  its  saints,  its  heads 

23 


2i  AXCIEXT    MYTHOLOGY. 

and  flitlicrs  of  the  church,  and  exhibiting  Alexandria  and  Car- 
thage oil  a  footing  with  the  greatest  cities  which  owned  the 
imperial  sway." 

But  while  the  banks  of  the  Xile  and  the  shores  of  the  Medi- 
terranean were  conspicuous  in  ancient  civilization,  the  poMer 
and  glory  did  not  penetrate  the  continent ;  there  was  only  a  nar- 
row strip  of  light  fringing  the  sea  and  the  river,  back  of  it  there 
was  the  mysterious  and  the  unknown. 

The  traveller  who  ventured  into  that  background  found  him- 
self among  wild  and  wandering  tribes,  who  exhibited  human 
nature  under  its  rudest  and  most  repulsive  forms.  If  he  journeyed 
far,  there  confronted  him  "a  barrier  vast  and  appalling — endless 
plains  of  moving  sand,  waste  and  wild,  without  a  shrub,  a  blade 
of  grass,  a  single  cheering  or  life-sustaining  object."  Victorious 
armies  turned  back  from  the  borders  of  the  desert  as  the  limit 
of  the  possible,  and  the  intervening  tract  of  alternate  rock  and 
valley  and  plain  furnished  many  of  those  fabulous  stories  wdiich 
have  come  down  to  us  in  classic  measure  and  become  a  grand 
theatre  of  ancient  mythology. 

Thither,  according  to  Diodorus,  the  "ancients  referred  the 
early  reign  of  Saturn  under  the  appellation  of  Ouranus  or 
Heaven;  the  birth  of  Jupiter  and  his  nursing  by  Amalthsea; 
the  impious  race  of  Titans  and  their  wars  with  the  gods ;  Cybele 
with  her  doting  love  for  Atys  and  frantic  grief  for  his  fate." 
And  there  were  placed  the  hideous  Gorgons,  and  the  serpents 
hissing  in  the  hair  of  Medusa.  And  thence  came  the  stories  of 
those  dreadful  Amazons,  "gallant  viragoes,"  who  ravaged  all 
the  region  and  carried  victorious  arms,  according  to  the  historian, 
into  Syria  and  Asia  IMinor. 

But  mingled  with  so  much  fable  the  ancient  writers  had  also 
some  just  conceptions  of  this  region,  and  many  things  mentioned 
by  Herodotus,  Diodorus,  and  particularly  by  Strabo,  who  wrote 
after  tlie  Roman  sway  w^as  fully  established  over  Africa,  indicate 
that  greatest  care  was  used  in  treasuring  the  scraps  of  knowledge 
which  floated  up  out  of  the  deeper  wilderness  beyond.  Yet  that 
wilderness  kept  its  secrets  so  jealously  that  the  diligence  of 
historians  and  tiic  eagerness  of  explorers  and  the  power  of  armies 
were  equally  ineffectual  in  extending  the  range  of  precise  knowl- 
edge beyond  the  narrow  confines  on  the  north  and  a  limited 


EGYPTIAN   ARCHWAY. 


SARACEN   CONQUEST.  27 

extent  of  western  coast.  The  light  straggled  to  penetrate  the 
gloom,  its  bhintcd  rays  rested  against  an  opacity,  and  rose  in 
towering  brilliancy,  and  stood  a  while  flashing  like  a  resisted 
sun,  then  paled  and  quivered  and  fell,  and  left  the  continent  a 
heritage  of  darkness  to  the  future. 

When  the  Saracen  sway  swept  across  from  Asia,  in  whoso 
social  system  such  marvellous  changes  had  been  wrought,  and 
established  itself  among  the  splendid  relics  and  smoldering  fires 
so  readily  surrendered  by  the  effeminate  descendants  of  th.e 
Greeks  and  Romans,  an  auspicious  day  seemed  to  be  dawning 
on  the  continent,  the  arts  and  sciences  were  revived  on  that  con- 
secrated soil.  "  Even  remote  Mauritania,  which  seemed  doomed 
to  be  forever  the  inheritance  of  a  barbarous  and  nomadic  race, 
was  converted  into  a  civilized  empire,  and  its  capital,  Fez,  be- 
came a  distinguished  school  of  learning."  They  introduced  the 
camel  from  the  sandy  wastes  of  Arabia.  Paths  were  opened 
through  wilds  which  had  hitherto  defied  all  human  effort,  and  a 
trade  in  gold  and  slaves  was  formed  with  countries  which  had 
been  unknown.  By  successive  migrations  these  descendants  of 
the  prophet  multiplied  in  Africa.  Sanguinary  disputes  arose, 
and  the  ill-fortuned  sought  refuge  on  the  southern  side  of  that 
scorching  sea  of  sand  which  had  arrested  the  ambition  of 
Cambyses  and  Alexander.  There,  in  the  territory  distinguished 
on  our  maps  as  Soudan,  these  enterprising  travellers  founded 
several  flourishing  kingdoms,  which  Europeans  vainly  sought 
to  reach  until  within  a  comparatively  recent  date.  They  founded 
Ghana,  boasting  unrivalled  splendor,  whose  royal  master  rode 
out  attended  by  obedient  elephants  and  cainelopards — a  king- 
dom which,  after  various  fortunes  as  subject  to  Timbuctoo, 
Kashna,  and  Sackatoo,  cam^to  be  identified  in  the  present  Kano. 
And  there  was  Tocrur,  the  Takror  of  Major  Denman,  the  Sacka- 
too of  our  maps — in  that  early  day  enjoying  an  extensive  traffic 
M-ith  the  people  of  the  west,  who  brought  shells  and  brass  to  bar- 
ter for  foreign  trinkets.  Then  came  Kuku,  the  Bornou  of  to- 
day. Farther  south  v/as  the  ancient  city  of  Kangha,  famous  for 
its  industries  and  arts,  which  modern  historians  have  recognized 
in  the  city  of  Loggun,  celebrated,  by  Major  Denham,  for  its 
ingenuities,  its  manufactures,  and  its  witty  women. 

Alone:  tlie  southern   borders  of  Soudan  there  were  districts 


28  MOHAMMEDAN    FAILURE. 

known  as  Wangara  and  Ungara,  mentioned  confusedly  by  the 
early  writers,  -whence  the  merchants  are  reputed  to  have  derived 
vast  quantities  of  gold.  The  progress  rested  against  the  Alpine 
range  on  the  south,  which  divides  Soudan  from  Guinea,  and  the 
dwellers  in  those  wild  regions  were  branded  as  infidels,  and  the 
darkness  which  repelled  the  light  of  Islam  was  made  to  cover 
deeds  of  violence  and  blood,  and  treasures  for  the  final  day 
stories  of  wrong  for  which  there  is  no  adequate  condemnation  in 
human  censure.  West  of  the  Niger  there  was  an  extensive  re- 
gion, hardly  known  to  exist  by  the  Arabians.  On  the  east  the 
regions  of  Nubia  and  Abyssinia,  which  Grecian  enterprise  had 
reached  with  ships,  had  received  the  name  of  Christ,  and  hostile 
creeds  can  no  more  touch  than  light  and  darkness ;  and  there 
Avas  an  unknown  wilderness  on  the  west,  there  were  despised 
infidels  on  the  south,  and  a  hated  creed  in  Nubia  and  Abyssinia 
— Mohammedan  altars  in  the  midst.  The  splendors  of  this 
foreign  presence  contrasted  strangely  with  the  native  wildness 
for  a  time,  but  it  was  not  a  corrective,  assimilating  light.  It 
was  modifying,  but  aggravating.  The  cities  were  bright  spots 
unquestionably ;  so  penal  fires  are  bright,  but  earth  Is  darker 
for  their  glare. 

Fitful  efforts  were  made  to  explore  the  west  from  the  inland 
cities.  Settlements  were  effected  from  southern  Arabia  at  various 
points  along  the  eastern  coast  as  far  down  as  Mozambique.  But 
Mohammedanism  was  the  inspiration  of  Arab  energy;  Moham- 
medanism possessed  no  inherent  vitality.  The  inspiration 
gradually  failed ;  barbarism  gradually  reclaimed  its  dominion 
by  the  degeneracy  of  its  invaders,  and  became  Intenser  because 
It  was  a  little  more  intelligent.  The  life  Avhich  is  not  nourished 
by  the  fruits  of  nature  must  grad^ially  Avaste  away  and  give 
itself  to  feed  that  whereon  it  should  have  fed.  The  civilization 
which  does  not  assimilate  the  surrounding  barbarism  must  itself 
degenerate  into  its  stimulant.  The  sun  itself  would  be  but  half 
a  sun  amid  the  whirling  realms  if  it  did  not  clothe  them  all  with 
its  own  brightness  and  make  them  helpers,  giving  as  they  re- 
ceive. Aggression  is  the  law  of  existence.  The  inefficiency  of 
Mohammedan  civilization  in  Africa  was  the  prophecy  of  its 
decadence.  The  pro})hccy  was  only  too  true.  The  glory  de- 
parted, and   that  which  promised  to  elevate  Africa  became  its 


THE    FIFTEENTH    CENTURY.  29 

incubus :  that  which  promised  healing  became  a  poison  inflaming 
and  agonizing  wherever  it  touched.  The  continent  was  involved 
in  deeper  darkness — a  festering  barbarism — which  gave  off  to 
the  world  a  tribute  that  cursed  the  giver  and  the  receiver. 

While  the  Crescent  was  resting  with  dazzling  splendor  over 
Africa,  Europe  was  in  that  profound  apathy  which  attended  the 
"  decline  of  the  Roman  empire,  the  irruption  of  the  barbarous 
nations,  and  the  rude  systems  of  feudal  polity  which  were  inau- 
gurated. There  was  absolute  indifference  to  all  matters  pertain- 
ing to  science,  discovery  and  distant  commerce."  Even  the 
naval  efforts  of  Venice  and  Genoa  extended  little  farther  than 
Alexandria  and  the  Black  Sea.  Satisfied  by  the  wealth  and 
power  to  which  they  had  been  raised  by  this  limited  commerce, 
these  celebrated  commonwealths  made  no  attempt  to  open  a  more 
extended  path  over  the  ocean. 

"About  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  century,  the  human  mind 
began  to  make  a  grand  movement  in  every  direction,  especially 
in  religion,  science,  industry,  and  freedom.  It  eagerly  sought 
not  only  to  break  loose  from  that  thraldom  in  which  it  had 
been  bound  for  so  many  ages,  but  to  rival  and  even  surpass  all 
that  had  been  achieved  during  the  most  brilliant  eras  of  an- 
tiquity. These  high  aims  wer  peculiarly  directed  to  the  de- 
partment of  maritime  discovery.  The  invention  of  the  compass, 
the  skill  of  the  Venetian  and  Genoese  pilots,  and  the  knowledge 
transmitted  from  former  times,  inspired  all,  classes  with  the 
hope  of  being  able  to  pass  the  ancient  barriers  and  to  throw  light 
upon  regions  hitherto  unknown."  Portugal,  whose  kings  were 
preeminent  in  intelligence  and  enterprise,  was  the  first  to  obey 
this  new  inspiration.  Various  circumstances  conspired  to  fix 
the  eye  of  Portugal  on  the  western  border  of  Africa  as  the  choice 
field  for  research.  The  ancient  expeditions  had  furnished  very 
limited  and  indefinite  information  of  this  coast,  and  even  the 
wonderful  discoveries  of  Columbus  in  later  years  hardly  excited 
greater  surprise  and  admiration  than  the  voyages  which  so 
rapidly  scattered  the  mists  which  had  hung  through  all  the  past 
about  the  shores  of  Sahara,  Senegambia,  Guinea,  and  Lower 
Guinea. 

In  1433  Gilianez  passed  the  Cape  Bojador,  and  Portuguese 
navigators  Avere  not  long  in  reaching  the  fertile  regions  watered 


30  Portugal's  effort. 

by  the  Senegal  and  the  Gambia;  within  forty  years  Portugal 
had  made  settlements  as  far  down  as  the  Congo,  and  according 
to  the  ancient  maxim  which  gives  to  the  victors  all  countries 
conquered  from  infidel  nations,  had  received  from  the  Pope  a 
grant  of  full  dominion  in  all  lands  which  should  be  discovered 
beyond  Cape  Bojador  and  in  their  farther  progress  eastward. 
The  capital  of  Portuguese  possessions  on  the  continent  was  fixed 
at  Elmina,  and  the  king  hesitated  not  to  assume  the  pompous 
title  of  Lord  of  Guinea.  The  new-comers,  true  children  of 
Rome,  appealed  chiefly  to  their  religion,  in  establishing  their 
sway.  Baptisms  were  made  by  wholesale,  which  was  the  easier 
done  because  the  ceremony  included  the  putting  of  salt  on  the 
tongue  of  the  converts,  and  this  was  a  commodity  for  a  taste 
of  w^hich  many  of  the  poor  creatures  would  have  faced  any  sort 
of  formula.  The  Congo  princes  were  particularly  favorable 
for  a  time  to  the  new  system  ;  various  courtesies  were  exchanged, 
whole  nations  were  Christianized  by  contract,  the  freest  scope 
was  given  to  the  missionaries,  and  these  woi'thies  seemed  to 
have  been  really  animated  by  a  very  devoted  and  persevering 
zeal.  But  they  unfortunately  put  the  presentation  of  beads, 
Agni  Dei,  images  of  the  Madonna,  and  saints,  splendid  pro- 
cessions, rich  furniture,  and  solemn  festivals  of  the  church  be- 
fore the  doctrines  of  the  Bible.  They  sought  to  dazzle  the  eye 
rather  than  instruct  the  mind,  to  secure  an  outward  allegiance 
rather  than  an  inward  renewal.  The  new  converts  viewed  the 
gospel  only  as  a  gay  and  pompous  pageant ;  they  had  no  idea 
of  the  duties  and  obligations  which  were  enjoined  by  the  sacred 
name  which  was  pronounced  over  them.  And  naturally  enough, 
there  was  a  tremendous  reversion  of  feeling  when  the  authori- 
ties began  to  interfere  with  some  of  those  barbarous  customs, 
whicii  were  with  them  time-honored  and  sacred,  though  con- 
demned by  the  church.  The  inquisition  was  brought  to  aid  in 
the  promotion  of  that  practical  piety  which  ought  to  have  been 
sought  by  the.  faithful  presentation  of  truth  and  the  conversion 
of  souls;  wars  arose,  complications  multiplied.  The  mission- 
aries toiled  and  endured  with  a  heroism  worthy  of  truer  princi- 
ples, but  they  failed.  And  the  banks  of  the  Congo,  especially, 
where  their  greatest  exertion  was  put  forth,  retain  no  trace  or 
tradition  of  them. 


ENGLAND   AND   FRANCE.  SI 

"Portugal  passed  under  the  yoke  of  Philip  II.  of  Spain,  and 
under  that  influence  became  involved  in  war  with  the  Dutcii, 
who  had  risen  to  the  first  rank  as  a  naval  people,  and  whose 
splendid  armaments  successively  stripped  them  of  their  most 
important  possessions  on  the  African  continent  as  well  as  in  the 
East  Indies."  In  1632,  Elraina,  their  capital,  the  key  to  the 
gold  coast,  fell  into  the  hands  of  these  successful  rivals. 

But  the  splendid  results  which  had  followed  so  rapidly 
the  revival  of  interest  in  maritime  matters  had  attracted  uni- 
versal attention  to  the  ocean,  and  that  vast  trackless  realm 
became  the  theatre  where  unrivalled  wealth  and  glory  seemed 
to  await  the  seeking.  The  gallant  Hollanders  soon  found  their 
proud  mastership  of  the  seas  disputed  by  powerful  rivals. 
England  and  France  had  come  to  the  front  in  European  affairs, 
and  were  already  pressing  forward  in  a  jealous  race  to  surpass 
each  other  and  all  the  past.  For  a  while  their  settlements  on 
the  African  coast  were  made  with  a  view  only  to  obtaining 
slaves  for  their  new  possessions  in  the  West  Indies.  Soon 
there  came  wonderful  reports  of  the  gold-trade  carried  on  at 
Timbuctoo.  .  There  was  no  hope  of  establishing  a  highway 
across  the  desert  from  the  north,  and  a  company  was  formed  in 
England  for  the  purpose  of  exploring  the  Gambia,  by  Mdnch  the 
geographical  systems  of  the  age  warranted  them  in  hoping  to 
reach  the  glittering  treasures.  Richard  Thompson,  the  first 
representative  of  this  company,  after  desperate  engagements  with 
the  Portuguese,  who  still  boasted  their  lordship  over  the  region, 
fell  by  the  hands  of  his  own  men.  But  a  better  star  guided  his 
successor,  Richard  Jobson,  who,  while  falling  far  short  of  reaching 
the  far-famed  Timbuctoo,  won,  perhaps,  the  glory  of  being  the 
first  Englishman  who  had  an  o})portunity  to  observe  the  manners 
and  superstitions  peculiar  to  native  Africa.  As  he  advanced,  a 
new  world  seemed  to  dawn  on  him.  All  about  him  land  and 
water  were  inhabited  by  multitudes  of  savage  animals.  The 
enormous  sea-horses  sported  in  every  pool,  herds  of  enormous 
elephants  crowded  to  the  shore,  lions  and  leopards  moved  about 
among  the  trees  in  full  view,  and  everywhere  there  were  myriads 
of  monkeys  going  through  their  eccentric  evolutions.  Armies  of 
baboons  marched  along  occasionally,  and  displayed  their  surly 
tempers  by  horrid  grimaces  and  angry  gesticulations,  as  they 


32  JOBSOX   xVXD   MUXGO   PARK. 

M-atchcd  the  progress  of  the  intruders.  The  appearance  and 
customs  of  the  human  dwellers  in  the  region  were  in  keeping 
with  the  utter  wildness,  and  many  were  the  wonderful  stories 
he  had  to  tell  his  countrymen  of  the  kindnesses  and  cruelties, 
the  fashions  and  follies,  the  graces  and  hideousness  which  he 
saw,  and  the  strange  things  he  heard.  But  the  goal  was  not 
reached.  Then,  for  a  long  time,  the  spirit  of  discovery,  so  far 
as  pertained  to  Africa,  was  dormant  in  England.  And  when  it 
revived  a  little  in  1720,  it  was  only  to  be  assured,  by  the  ex- 
pedition of  Captain  Stibbs,  that  the  theories  of  reaching  the 
interior  by  the  Gambia  had  been  only  a  delusion. 

"While  the  English  sought  to  ascend  the  Gambia,  Senegal 
was  the  Niger  to  the  French,  the  stream  by  which  they  hoped 
to  reach  tiie  regions  of  gold.  They  founded  the  settlement  of 
St.  Louis  in  1626,  but  little  was  accomplished  until  1697,  when 
Sieur  Brue  was  appointed  director  of  the  company's  affairs, 
who  made  various  journeys  into  the  interior,  penetrating  as  far 
as  Bambouk,  distinguished  still  for  its  mines  of  gold.  But 
still  there  remained  the  vast  blank  on  the  map  of  Africa,  and 
the  fabulous  stories  of  wonderful  wealth  came  floating  up  out 
of  the  unknown,  while  the  remotest  extremities  of  land  in  other 
quarters  of  the  globe  were  being  brought  under  contribution  to 
the  general  fund  of  knowledge  and  wealth. 

At  length  the  African  Association  was  formed  in  England, 
and  introduced  a  new  era  in  African  discoveries.  First,  Mr. 
Ledyard,  a  born  traveller,  who  had  sailed  around  the  world  with 
Captain  Cook,  had  lived  in  North  America,  and  journeyed  to 
the  remotest  parts  of  Asia,  was  sent  out,  and  died  in  Egypt  be- 
fore even  beginning  the  proposed  journey  along  the  Nile.  Then 
Lucas  attempted  to  cross  the  desert  from  Tripoli ;  tlie  daring 
INIajor  Houghton  fell  the  victim  of  Moorish  perfidy,  while  boldly 
penetrating  the  continent  from  the  mouth  of  the  Gambia.  Then 
came  the  celebrated  Mungo  Park,  who  was  destined  to  take  the 
front  rank  of  all  the  travellers  of  his  day,  whose  dreadful 
sufferings,  and  unrivalled  heroism,  and  unconquerable  perse- 
verance were  as  much  matter  of  astonishment  and  admiration 
as  the  discoveries  he  made,  and  the  exploits  he  performed. 
While  Mr.  Park  was  making  his  discoveries  in  Senegambia, 
Guinea,  and  western  Soudan,  Frederic  Horneman  was  sent  out 


MYSTERY  OF   THE   NIGER   DISPELLED.  33 

by  the  association,  penetrating  the  continent  from  the  north. 
Travelling  as  a  jNIohaminedan,  with  various  caravans  he  crossed 
the  dreary  wastes  to  Mourzouk  and  thence  southward,  and 
never  returned.  Various  unauthenticated  reports  were  made 
by  individuals  claiming  to  have  been  shipwrecked  and  to  have 
wandered  great  distances  inland,  and  seen  wonderful  things 
and  made  wonderful  discoveries.  Several  expeditions  sent  out 
M'ith  high  hopes  and  great  expense  were  comparatively  fruit- 
less. 

The  patience  and  zeal  of  those  who  had  devoted  themselves 
to  this  great  work  w^as  at  length  rewarded  by  the  very  re- 
markable and  successful  journeys  of  Denham  and  Clapperton, 
wdio  crossed  the  desert  from  Tripoli  and  traversed  the  whole 
region  which  so  many  centuries  before  had  furnished  a  home 
to  the  wandering'sons  of  the  prophet.  Timbuctoo,  Kano  and 
Sackatoo  were  all  called  on  to  reveal  their  secrets.  Kingdoms, 
before  unknown,  took  their  place  in  history.  New  mountains, 
lakes,  and  rivers,  came  out  under  the  indefatigable  labors  of 
these  heroic  men,  as  at  the  bidding  of  a  magician.  But  the 
course  of  the  Niger,  the  mighty  river  which  was  found  watering 
those  distant  inland  regions,  was  still  unknown.  Park  had 
traced  it  only  a  little  lower  down  than  Boussa,  when  his  splen- 
did career  was  brought  to  its  fatal  close.  It  was  to  be  the 
glory  of  Kichard  Lander  to  dispel  this  mystery.  The  grand 
problem  which  had  perplexed  Europe  for  so  many  ages,  on 
which,  during  a  period  of  nearly  forty  years,  so  many  efforts 
and  sacrifices  had  been  expended  in  vain,  was  completely  re- 
solved. Park  in  his  first  journey  reached  the  banks  of  the 
Niger,  saw  it  roiling  its  waters  toward  the  interior  of  the  conti- 
nent, and  theorists  readily  leaped  to  the  conclusion,  "  This  must 
be  the  Nile."  The  same  traveller  proved  its  continuous  pro- 
gress for  more  than  one  thousand  miles.  Lander  followed  all 
its  windings  until  it  emptied  itself  into  the  Atlantic  Ocean — a 
discovery  which  was  hailed  with  rejoicing  in  all  Europe  as 
opening  a  highway  to  the  most  fertile  and  improved  and 
healthful  portions  of  the  interior. 

From  these  settlements  along  the  western  coast  various  expe- 
ditions were  sent  into  the  country  for  purposes  of  discovery  and 
trade,  and  missionary  enterprises  found  footing  at  various  points. 


34  BARBAROUS   KINGDOMS. 

A  chain  of  European  forts  were  erected  along  nearly  the  entire 
coast,  but  with  the  abandonment  of  the  slave-trade  by  Great 
Britain,  and  the  vigorous  measures  against  it,  the  territory 
passed  into  the  passession  of  a  number  of  petty  states,  many  of 
Avhich  compose  aristocratic  republics,  turbulent,  restless,  licen- 
tious, and  rendered  more  depraved  by  their  intercourse  with 
Europeans.  But  a  little  inland  there  are  found  in  this  tract 
several  powerful  and  well-organized  kingdoms.  Conspicuous 
among  them  is  Dahomey,  one  of  the  strangest  kingdoms  on  the 
face  of  the  earth.  A  kingdom  which  w^as  begun  in  blood  and 
cruelty,  and  which  has  maintained  its  existence  for  more  than 
two  centuries  in  spite  of  the  terrible  scenes  continually  enacted 
— scenes  which  would  drive  almost  any  other  nation  to  revolt — 
there,  almost  under  the  shadow  of  Christian  mission  stations,  are 
still  enacted  the  bloody  dramas  of  human  sacrifices.  Human 
skulls  are  drinking-cups.  And  the  horrid  brutalities  of  the  king 
at  home  and  the  fiendish  invasions  of  neighboring  states  are  sus- 
tained by  a  dreadful  army  of  Amazons,  finding  a  Satanic  solace 
for  the  enforced  sacrifices  of  their  celibate  state  in  bloodiest 
deeds.  There,  too,  are  the  Ashantees.  hardly  better  than  the 
Dahomey.  South  of  Dahomey,  just  above  the  equator,  in 
Lower  Guinea,  are  the  Fans — the  cannibals  of  Du  Chaillu  and 
Mr.  Rcade,  whose  horrid  barbarism  shocks  the  bluntest  sensi- 
bilities in  civilized  lands.  A  land  where  even  the  grave  affords 
no  security  from  the  unnatural  gluttony.  A  peo2)le  "  who  bar- 
ter their  dead  among  themselves ;  ^' the  rivals  of  the  Niam- 
Niam  in  those  orgies  and  wild  dances  on  which  Dr.  Schwein- 
furth-  has  cast  such  vivid  light.  Along  the  same  tract,  a  little 
back  from  the  coast,  are  the  Ashira,  the  Cam  ma,  and  various 
other  tribes,  whose  strange  customs  enrich  the  volumes  of  Du 
Chaillu.     There,  too,  is  the  famous  "Ashango  Land." 

Brighter  spots  are  seen  in  the  midst  of  the  darkness :  the 
light  of  Christianity  is  established  at  various  points  along  the 
coast;  and  colonization  enterprises  have  taken  a  hold  which 
promise  grand  results  in  time. 

Leaving  the  western  coast,  we  approach  the  Cape  of  Good 
ITop'^,  about  which  the  contending  oceans  meet  with  a  rage 
which  appalled  the  stout  heart  of  Diaz ;  whose  peaceful  name 
is  ;i  memento  of  the  bold  spirit  of  the  king  Avho  could  foresee 
in  its  (lis(  uverv  (he  grander  attainments  of  the  future. 


AMAZON    WARRIORS. 


CAPa   COLONY.  37 

The  Dutch,  ever  wide  awake  to  the  best  cliancos,  soon  seized 
on  the  Cape  and  began  the  settlement  which  has  gradually  ex- 
tended over  the  Cape  country,  and  made  its  impression  on  many 
of  the  tribes  of  southern  Africa,  furnishing,  besides  a  foot- 
hold for  the  missionary,  splendid  opportunities  to  the  sports- 
men, and  a  starting-point  for  many  of  the  most  important  ex- 
plorations. Associated  with  this  point  we  find  the  names  of 
Hope,  and  Barrow,  and  Lichtenstein,  who  shed  the  earliest  light 
on  the  habits  and  homes  of  the  Hottentots  and  various  Catfre 
tribes.  Hither  came  Campbell,  and  Trutter,  and  Somerville, 
and  Moffat,  to  deeds  of  love  and  heroism  which  have  enriched 
the  literature  of  missions. 

And  hither,  too,  in  later  days  came  Livingstone,  purposing 
in  his  heart  to  do  only  as  other  men  had  done;  chosen  of  God 
to  do  a  peculiar  and  unrivalled  work,  and  lift  the  curtain  on  all 
the  hidden  region. 

While  so  much  attention  -was  being  bestowed  by  European 
nations  on  the  western  coast,  the  eastern  had  remained  either 
unknown  or  in  the  undisputed  possession  of  the  Arabs.  In 
1489,  when  Vasco  de  Gama  had  rounded  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  he  touched  at  Mozambique,  Mozamba,  and  Milinda, 
where  he  found  the  Arabs  ruling  in  all  their  Mohammedan 
bigotry.  Cabrial  visited  Quiloa,  and  very  soon  the  power  of 
Portugal  had  swept  the  ancient  settlers  from  the  delta  of  the 
Zambezi.  They  quickly  found  their  way  up  the  river  and 
established  the  forts  of  Sena  and  Tete,  and  ultimately  the  city 
of  Zurabo,  with  whose  ruins  we  will  become  familiar.  From 
these  settlements  several  journeys  seem  to  have  been  made  into 
the  interior,  extending  some  of  them  quite  into  the  heart  of  the 
region  which  came  down  to  our  time  an  unsightly  blank.  But 
only  the  dusty  unexplored  archives  of  the  Portuguese  govern- 
ment can  reveal  the  now  useless  facts  which  were  so  jealously 
concealed  when  they  would  have  been  welcomed  by  the  world. 
The  same  fatal  policy  which  distinguished  their  efforts  in  the 
west  brought  speedy  decay  of  power  here  likewise.  A  govern- 
ment, over  anxious  for  gain  and  unscrupulous  as  to  measures, 
and  a  church  \vith  nothing  better  to  give  than  beads  and  cruci- 
fixes, and  images,  and  solemn  mummeries,  can  have  no  lasting 
glory. 


38  THE    EAST    COAST. 

The  regions  south  of  jMozainbique  remained  ahnost  unknown 
until  the  establishment  of  the  English  colony  at  Natal.  At  a 
comparatively  recent  date  the  earlier  history  of  this  settlement 
^yas  attended  with  most  distressing  coraplieations  with  the 
natives,  but  at  length  Xatal  rose  so  far  above  adversity  as  to  be- 
come perhaps  the  most  desirable  field  of  emigration  on  the  con- 
tinent. The  remarkable  natural  advantages  have  greatly  assisted 
the  labor  of  industry  and  art  in  making  this  district  the  "  Ely- 
sium "  of  South  Africa.  The  tribes  who  surround  the  beautiful 
homes  and  carefully  cultivated  fields  and  blooming  gardens  of 
the  foreigners  retain  none  of  their  early  hostility;  cultivating 
more  the  peaceful  habits  so  well  and  wisely  recommended  to 
them,  they  are  rather  pleasant  neighbors,  affording  in  their  ig- 
norance an  ample  field  for  the  philanthropist  and  Christian,  and 
in  their  strange  sports  and  rivalries  entertainment  unsurpassed. 
But  after  Natal  had  been  made  to  blossom  as  a  rose,  there  still 
remained  a  considerable  extent  of  the  African  coast  vailed  in 
almost  absolute  darkness.  All  that  vast  region  between  Abys- 
sinia and  the  equator  was  still  the  land  of  fable.  This  "  tei-ra 
incor/nlta"  was  believed  to  be  the  ancient  Regio  Cinnamonlfera, 
to  have  undergone  great  revolutions,  to  be  possessed  by  inde- 
pendent tribes  of  Gallas  and  Soumalis,  and  to  teem  with  aroma- 
tics,  spices,  myrrh,  aloes,  ivory,  ostrich  feathers,  indigo,  cotton, 
and  other  valuable  articles  of  commerce,  yet  it  was  still  unex- 
plored. 

About  the  time  that  David  Livingstone  was  taking  his  first 
lessons  in  African  life,  Lieutenant  Christopher,  in  command 
of  the  Honorable  East  India  Company's  war-brig  "  Tigris," 
touched  at  several  points  on  this  coast,  and  made  a  few  short 
journeys  into  the  country. 

But  the  grandest  realms  of  wonder  here  were  just  beginning  to 
absorb  modern  attention.  The  inquiry  of  the  ancients  M'as  being 
taken  up  with  new  enthusiasm.  The  tiieories  of  Pacy  and  the 
Abyssinians  and  of  Bruce  had  been  set  aside.  A  search  for  the 
true  source  of  the  Nile  had  succeeded  that  for  the  outlet  of  the 
Niger  as  the  grand  problem.  And  rivalling  this  more  nearly 
than  any  otlier  question  was  the  eagerness  to  know  what  lay  be- 
neath that  vast  blank  which  extended  from  the  Cape  Colony  to 
Soudan  and  from  Lower  Guinea  to  Zanguebar. 


ABYSSINIAN   HORSEMAN. 


ABYSSINIA   AND  THE  NILE.  43 

The  ponderous  voluraas  of  Bruce  won  highest  praise  for  the 
light  which  they  shed  on  Abyssinia,  that  land  of  long-prevailing 
mystery,  where  ancient  eretlulity  asserted  that  unicorns  and 
lions  held  their  deadly  combats,  and  dragons  flapjxxl  their 
scaly  wings  through  air;  that  golden  mountains  towered  toward 
the  sky,  and  river  beds  were  paved  with  diamonds;  and,  most 
of  all,  where  Presto  John,  the  priest  and  king,  was  said  to  hold 
his  court,  a  Christian  Solomon  of  the  middle  ages;  a  land  which 
in  the  full  light  of  history  still  engages  peculiar  attention  ;  where 
beautiful  women  and  splendid  horsemen  bewilder  the  astonishe<l 
traveller  with  their  accomplishments ;  and  most  loathsome  cus- 
toms disgust  him;  where  everything  is  an  astonishment;  a 
country  which  has  come  into  distinguished  prominence  in  con- 
nection with  the  sources  of  the  Nile ;  whose  lofty  mountains 
garner  the  showers  with  which  it  contributes  to  the  great  jxitron 
of  Egyptian  wealth  and  plenty. 

A  host  of  travellers  followed  Bruce  in  Abyssinia ;  most  notable 
of  them  was  Dr.  Beke,  who  was  the  first  to  give  the  world  a 
map  of  the  regions  in  which  the  Nile  sources  were  supposed  to 
be  involved.  The  Blue  and  White  Nile  were  soon  brought  into 
notice,  and  the  public  interest  deepened  in  the  work.  The 
Pasha  of  Egypt  entered  the  field  with  an  expedition,  whi(fh 
started  from  Khartum  in  December,  1839,  and  was  actively  e/;i- 
gaged  seventy-two  days.  A  second  and  a  third  Egyptian  expe- 
dition was  sent  out ;  but  still  the  problem  seemed  to  become 
more  intricate.  It  remained  for  Sir  Samuel  Baker  to  discover 
the  Albert  N'Yanza;  for  Speke  and  Burton  to  discover  the 
Tanganyika  ;  for  Speke  to  tell  the  world  of  Victoria  N'Yanza, 
and  for  Livingstone  to  trace  the  Lualaba  through  the  Bang- 
weolo,  the  Moero,  and  the  Kanalondo  to  its  junction  with  the 
Loraame,  and  for  a  coming  man  to  come  in  l:>etwcen  and  divide 
or  unite  these  various  waters. 

While  all  these  efforts  were  being  put  forth  east,  west,  and 
south,  various  adventurers  were  traversing  the  northern  shores 
among  the  relics  of  ancient  greatness,  and  visiting  the  sand-girt 
cities  of  the  desert ;  and  from  a  thousand  sources  information 
was  being  derived  about  this  vast  continent  so  long  wrapt  in 
gloom.  Only  absolute  darkness  prevailed  over  the  vast  region 
marked  on  the  map,  Unknown !  Not  only  the  curiosity  of  the 
3 


44  THE   UNKNOWN. 

world  called  for  its  explanation,  commerce  called  for  it ;  there 
might  be  vast  treasures  concealed  there ;  there  might  be  nations 
easily  advanced  in  industrial  interests.  Philanthropy  called  for 
it:  there  were  undoubtedly  untold  wrongs  crying  to  the  world 
for  redress :  there  Avcre  evils  of  ignorance  and  superstition 
which  miglit  be  mitigated.  Science  called  for  it :  her  commission 
embraces  the  whole  world,  and  while  there  is  a  rock  unbroken 
or  a  star  without  a  name  she  must  not  rest.  But,  most  of  all, 
religion  called  for  it — Christianity — there  were  in  that  region 
souls  to  be  saved.  The  time  had  come,  and  a  man  came  for- 
ward, little  thinking  of  the  future  that  lay  before  him ;  a  man 
whose  joy  it  was  to  do  what  his  hands  might  find  to  do,  only 
doing  all  for  Christ;  a  man  not  sent  but  led,  step  by  step.  It 
is  this  man  whom  we  will  follow  up  and  down  in  the  deep 
shadows  of  that  vast  unknown ;  whose  adventures  we  will  ob- 
serve; whose  toils  and  sacrifices  we  will  note;  whose  character 
we  will  study  ;  and  by  whose  wonderful  guidance  we  will  find 
out  all  the  strange,  astonishing,  distressing,  animating,  pleasing 
and  important  things  the  land  can  reveal. 

The  wonderful  journeys  of  which  we  will  read  covered  many 
thousand  miles;  generally  they  will  be  found  to  lie, in  regions 
where  not  the  shadow  of  a  tmdition  exists  of  a  white  man's 
presence  before.  We  will  find  tribes  presenting  every  phase 
of  uncivilir-ed  life.  We  will  find  every  wild  animal  which  be- 
longs to  the  continent  represented.  We  will  find  strange  and 
wonderful  insects,  and  dreadful  reptiles.  We  will  read  of 
ewamps  reeking  with  pestilence,  deserts  and  trackless  forests, 
rivers  and  mountains.  Everywhere  we  \vill  see  a  man  alone, 
often  without  supplies,  with  no  adequate  means  of  self-protection, 
practising  no  deception ;  everywhere  appearing  in  his  true  char- 
acter; everywhere  condemning  vic<}  and  commending  virtue; 
espousing  the  cause  of  the  oppressed  against  the  strong ;  com- 
))ating  long-established  customs,  and  proposing  great  reforma- 
tions. This  man  we  will  see  passing  unharme<l,  and  seldom 
resisted  by  native  force.  We  will  feel  that  he  carries  a  "  charmed 
life,"  that  he  is  "  immortal  until  his  -work  is  done."  If  we  ob- 
serve carefully  and  weigh  well  his  life,  Ave  M'ill  be  wiser  and 
better  than  we  are,  besides  the  knowledge  we  shall  gain  of 
Africa. 


CHAPTER  I. 

blajNTyee  to  the  bakwains. 

Noble  Names — David  Livingstone — Blantyre — Home  Traditions — The  Factory — 
Common  School— Latin — Love  of  Books — Be  Honest — His  Father— Mother — 
Scottish  Poor — Both  well — Conversion — Missionary  Spirit — China — Medicine — 
Astrology — Greek — Theology— Africa— Thorough  Preparation — 1840 — Leaves 
England— Goes  to  South  Africa — Condition  of  Country — Cape  Colony — Cape 
Town— Algoa  Bay — Port  Elizabeth — Kurumau  or  Lattakoo— Dr.  Moffat — 
Northward— Studying  Language,  etc.— Selects  Matabosa— Settles — Kindness 
to  the  Natives — A  Lion  Encounter — Joins  the  Bakwains. 

Theee  are  names  that  live,  and  should  live.  Like  the  men 
who  make  them  honorable,  there  are  names  which  do  good, 
carrying  light  and  strength.  There  are  names  about  which 
systems,  and  histories,  and  ideal  realms  of  wondrous  beauty 
are ;  which  incite  mankind  to  lofty  enterprise,  and  impart  con- 
fidence and  fortitude  and  zeal.  There  are  names  which  honor 
a  world's  remembrance.  It  is  well  and  creditable  for  the 
world  that  some  men  are  never  forgotten.  But  of  all,  there 
is  no  life-work  brighter  and  truer  and  loftier  than  that  in 
the  service  of  humanity,  and  the  service  of  humanity  is  per- 
fected in  the  dignity  of  Christian  effort.  Among  the  securest 
favorites  of  history,  the  worthiest  are  those  who  lived  for 
others,  and  loved  and  labored  under  the  impulses  of  the 
gospel. 

Such  a  man  was  David  Livingstone.  His  child-life  was  at 
Blantyre,  by  the  beautiful  Clyde,  above  Glasgow,  in  Scotland. 
He  was  born  there  in  the  year  1813.  The  humble  home  enter- 
tained some  proud  traditions,  treasured  through  eight  generations 
of  tlie  fuuily.  The  young  David  listened  with  bounding  heart 
and  growing  spirit,  while  his  grandfather  told  the  histories  and 
legends  of  the  olden  time.  Culloden  was  in  the  story.  His 
great-grandfather  fell  there,  fighting. for  the  old  line  of  kings; 
and  "  Ulva  Dark,"  the  family  home,  had  been  there.  Old  Gaelic 
songs    trembled  off   the   lips  of   his   grandmother,  beguiling 

45 


46  HIS   PARENTS 

the  social  hours.  There  was  the  spirit  of  heroism  in  the 
home.  And  among  the  traditions  there  were  those  of  singu- 
lar virtue  and  integrity.  He  classed  the  dying  precept  of  a 
hardy  ancestor  the  proudest  distinction  of  his  family  :  that 
precept  was,  "  be  honest."  Honesty  is  a  matchless  birthright ; 
he  claimed  it ;  he  was  not  proud  of  anything  else. 

His  father  was  a  man  of  "unflinching  honesty,"  and  was 
employed  by  Montieth  &  Co.,  proprietors  of  Blantyre  Works 
in  conveying  very  large  sums  of  money  from  Glasgow,  and  by  the 
honorable  kindness  of  their  firm  his  integrity  was  so  rewarded 
that  his  declining  years  were  spent  where  he  had  lived,  in  ease 
and  comfort.  He  was  a  man  who  kept  the  hearts  of  his  chil- 
dren. His  kindness  and  real  love  were  sweeter  to  them  than  all 
that  wealth  sometimes  bestows  as  its  peculiar  gift.  He  brought 
his  children  up  religiously ;  it  was  in  connection  with  the  Kirk 
of  Scotland.  It  is  a  beautiful  tribute  of  his  illustrious  son : 
"My  father  deserved  my  lasting  gratitude  and  homage  for 
presenting  me  from  my  infancy  with  a  continuously  consistent 
pious  example.     I  revere  his  memory." 

The  mother  of  the  man  appears  only,  and  passes  from  the 
public  view.  She  was  a  quiet,  loving,  industrious,  self-denying, 
praying  mother.  God  knows  how  to  choose  mothers  for  the 
chosen  men.  This  mother  was  the  mother  of  a  great  and 
good  man.  She  was  a  women  who,  by  her  virtue  and  modesty, 
and  fortitude  and  courage,  could  bear  a  hero  and  inspire  him 
for  his  destiny.  "An  anxious  house-wife,  striving  to  make 
both  ends  meet,"  found  time  and  place  to  exert  a  true  woman's 
singular  and  mighty  influence  upon  her  little  boy.  We  will 
not  presume  to  estimate  the  magnitude  of  that  influence.  We 
will  not  say  how  much  his  home  had  to  do  with  the  singular 
though tfulness  and  distinguished  precocity  of  the  child  that 
toiled  all  day  long  in  the  mill  with  the  hundreds  who  worked 
there.  David  Livingstone  was  only  ten  years  old  when  he 
was  put  into  the  factory.  People  ought  not  to  despise  little 
factory-boys.  He  worked  from  six  in  the  morning  until  eight 
at  night;  that  makes  fourteen  hours  a  day,  and  a  child  just 
ten  years  of  age.  There  were  very  good  schools  at  Blantyre ; 
the  teachers  were  i>aid  twenty-five  pounds  a  year.  The  schools 
were  fi'ee  to  the  children  of  the  working  people.     David  had 


EARLY   STUDIES   AND   TASTES.  47 

been  in  one  of  those  schools.  He  must  have  been  well 
advanced  for  his  age.  The  impulse  that  his  mind  received 
in  the  common  school  was  aided  by  the  attractions  of  the 
great  University  at  Glasgow.  Boys  in  the  neighborhood  of 
great  colleges  have  earlier  and  loftier  aspirations  perhaps. 
Anyhow  we  are  informed  that  a  part  of  David  Livingstone's 
first  week's  Avages  went  for  "  E,uddiman's  lludiments  of 
Latin,"  and  that  he  pressed  the  study  of  that  language  with 
peculiar  ardor,  in  an  evening  school,  from  eight  to  ten  o'clock, 
during  a  number  of  years.  There  are  many  grown  men  who 
mourn  over  their  ignorance  whose  work  does  not  fill  fourteen 
hours  a  day. 

In  those  evening  hours,  with  a  little  tired  child-body, 
Livingstone  mastered  the  Latin  language,  and  accomplished 
much  in  general  reading.  When  he  was  sixteen  years  old, 
he  was  quite  in  advance  of  his  age.  The  diligence  and  self- 
control  of  the  boy  was  the  prophecy  of  the  man.  At  this  early 
age,  too,  the  peculiar  tastes  and  talents  which  rendered  his 
subsequent  life  singularly  successful  and  vested  his  work 
with  singular  interest  began  to  appear.  He  did  not  love 
novels :  he  loved  facts.  He  was  not  charmed  with  the  woven 
fancies  of  quiet  effeminacy.  He  delighted  in  stories  of  adven- 
ture; he  was  always  glad  to  put  his  hand  in  the  hand  of  the 
historian,  and  be  led  away  from  familiar  scenes  to  the  new 
and  the  strange  and  the  difficult.  The  hero  spirit  was  in  him. 
This  love  of  the  new  and  eagerness  for  travel  were  tempered 
and  sanctified  by  an  appreciation  of  the  real  and  the  useful. 
He  had  delight  in  scientific  books  and  experiments. 

The  home  of  his  childhood  was  admirably  adapted  for  the 
development  ot  noble  character.  There  was  a  population  of 
nearly  three  thousand.  The  people  were  "  good  specimens  of 
tlie  Scottish  poor,"  as  he  tells  us  himself,  "in  honesty,  morality 
and  intelligence."  There  were  all  sorts  of  people,  of  course ; 
they  were  generally  awake  to  all  public  questions ;  their  inter- 
est was  intelligent;  there  were  some  characters  of  uncommon 
worth ;  these  persons  felt  peculiar  interest  in  the  thouglitful, 
studious  lad.  There  were  near  at  hand  many  sj)ots  hallowed 
in  Scottish  history — spots  with  venerable  associations.  The 
Scottish  people  love  old  associations;   they  treasure  the  dear 


48  CONVERSION   AND   MISSIONARY   SPIRIT. 

memorials  of  the  past.  The  ancient  domains  of  Bothwell  stood 
with  open  door  to  these  respected  villagers.  David  Livingstone 
■was  one  of  the  people,  and  loved  these  scenes ;  he  knew  their 
liistorv,  all  their  old  traditions  were  in  his  heart. 

A  youth,  with  the  spirit  of  these  associations  and  surround- 
ings, fond  of  study,  with  abundant  capacity,  wanted  only  the 
touch  of  divine  grace,  and  his  heart  would  bound  to  noble  sacri- 
fice for  Christ ;  he  would  not  think  of  himself.  The  time  came. 
"  The  change,"  he  says,  "was  like  what  may  be  supposed  would 
take  place,  were  it  possible  to  cure  a  case  of  color-blindness." 
The  appreciation  of  God's  love  was  humiliating  and  controlling. 
The  frceness  of  grace  engaged  his  gratitude  and  aifection ;  the 
fullness  and  magnitude  of  it  was  unanswerable,  and  constrained 
him.  There  was  no  expression  left  him  but  that  of  a  life  given 
in  return.  He  gave  liimself  to  God  immediately.  He  deter- 
mined to  give  himself  to  the  heathen.  But  it  was  not  Africa 
which  he  thought  of.  He  was  not  like  Park— he  did  not  make 
special  preparation  for  Africa.  He  looked  toward  China ;  that 
immense  empire  seemed  to  beckon  him.  He  studied  for  China 
and  went  to  Africa.  It  is  so  in  God's  providence.  Sometimes 
the  highest  fitnass  for  a  place  is  attained  indirectly.  God  orders 
the  preparation  of  his  chosen.     His  ways  are  not  like  ours.  ^ 

The  practical  man  shows  himself  in  the  boy.  Young  Living- 
stone felt  that  whoever  ministers  to  the  souls  of  the  people 
must  reach  them  through  their  bodies.  He  reasoned  that  tlie 
confidence  to  be  desired,  as  a  spiritual  teacher  and  helper,  would 
be  most  easily  secured  by  attention  to  the  humbler  interests. 
It  is  like  seeking  interview  with  a  lord:  it  is  easier  if  the 
attendants  arc  first  won.  Christ  paid  much  attention  to  the 
bodily  necessities  of  people.  So  have  all  the  best  and  wisest  of 
his  servants.  Livingstone  studied  medicine  in  preparation  for 
his  missionary  work.  His  first  book  led  him  "deeply  and 
anxiously  into  the  perplexing  profundities  of  astrology ; 
and  he  only  paused  in  his  investigations  when,  to  his  youthlul 
mind,  the  ground  seemed  to  be  perilous,  and,  in  his  own  words 
"  when  the  dark  hint  seemed  to  loom  toward  selling  soul  and 
body  to  the  devil,  as  the  price  of  the  unfathomable  knowledge 
of  the  st.irs." 

He    would    wander,    delighted    and    wondering,    through 


y  „,  , , 


AFRICA   AND   PPvEPAEATION.  51 

Blautyrc  and  Cambuskng,  collecting  shells  and  stones  long 
before  geology  was  as  popular  as  it  is  now.  As  a  specimen  of 
the  help  and  encouragement  he  received^  when  the  curioua 
child  one  day  asked  a  quarryman,  "  How  did  ever  these  shells 
get  into  these  rocks  ? "  he  was  told,  "  When  God  made  the 
rocks,  He  made  the  shells  in  them."  And  when  his  honored 
iuther  found  his  preference  for  such  study,  he  insisted  on  ci-eating 
a  fondness  for  such  books  as  "  Fourfold  State,"  by  Baston, 
"  Practical  Christianity,"  etc. 

It  is  almost  incredible  that  such  varied  and  profound  reading 
as  fdled  these  early  years  of  Livingstone  could  have  been  done 
in  the  midst  of  such  daily  work  in  a  factory.  He  really  accom- 
plished all  of  his  reading  by  placing  his  book  where  he  could 
catch  a  sentence,  as  he  passed  backward  and  forward  at  his  work. 
Working  continually  in  his  factory,  he  studied  Gi'eek  at  Glasgow, 
and  Divinity  with  Dr.  Wardlaw,  by  his  own  manual  labor 
providing  for  his  own  education.  It  was  a  wonderful  love  of 
knowledge  and  wonderful  love  of  Christ  which  strengthened 
his  heart  for  such  a  work.  What  wonder  that  he  expressed  his 
delight,  when  at  last  he  was  admitted  a  member  of  a  j)rofessioa 
devoted  to  benevolence !  How  naturally  he  treasured  most 
fondly  the  recollections  of  Blantyrc  by  the  Clyde,  through  all 
of  his  wanderings !  It  was  a  sacrifice  for  such  a  man.  Africa 
offered  nothing.  It  asked  for  everything.  There  could  never 
be  a  home  there  for  him ;  there  could  never  be  one  anywhere 
on  earth.  It  is  a  serious  thing  to  become  a  missionary.  Christ 
had  no  home.  The  missionary  comes  nearest  to  Christ  in  his 
service,  and  he  must  come  nearest  to  Christ  in  his  sacrifice. 
Livingstone  did  not  go  to  Africa  to  find  out  Africa.  He  went 
there  to  carry  Christ  to  the  ignorant  and  lost.  The  gospel 
being  his  mission,  he  remained  long  enough  in  England  to 
make  special  preparation  in  the  study  of  theology.  It  is  a 
mistake  that  the  intelligence  of  the  teacher  should  be  graded  by 
the  advancement  of  the  learner.  The  very  best  preparation  is 
desirable  for  the  teacher  of  the  very  ignorant.  Little  children 
should  have  the  most  accom])li6hed  teachers.  Don't  send  a 
novice  in  Bible  truth  to  the  heathen.  God  is  not  in  need  of 
such  haste  on  the  part  of  his  servants  that  the  man  he  calls  for 
a  Bpecial  work  nuiy  not  go  about  it  deliberately.     No  tinie  ia 


52  ENGLAND   FOR  AFRICA. 

saved  by  rushing  to  the  battle  without  one's  armor  and  weapons. 
Livingstone  was  right.  He  knew  there  would  be  all  to  give, 
and  but  little  to  receive.  There  is  great  waste  in  missionary 
life.  A  man  does  wisely  to  seek  thorough  development  before 
lie  sets  out  on  such  work.  Livingstone  was  a  man  with  a 
reasonable  scientific  knowledge,  good  medical  education,  a 
student  of  theology — all  pervaded  by  the  love  of  Christ  and 
devotion  to  humanity,  with  a  deep-felt  call  to  the  heathen. 

This  is  the  man  who  left  England  for  Africa  in  1840.  He 
was  born  in  1815.  He  was  twenty-five  years  old  when  he 
began  his  great  work  there.  It  was  a  life  in  the  fullnass  and 
elasticity  of  its  vigor  which  he  laid  on  God's  altar  in  the 
service  of  humanity, 

Tlie  i3ortion  of  the  benighted  continent  which  he  selected 
was  full  of  interest  and  mystery.  Stories  of  M'onderful  fertility 
and  tempting  reservoirs  of  wealth  had  for  a  long  time  been 
fl.)ating  in  the  popular  mind.  Civilization  looked  eagerly 
toward  the  heathen  wilderness.  Accounts,  all  indefinite,  but 
promising,  of  nations  Morthy  of  their  sympathy,  had  moved 
the  hearts  of  Christians.  The  missionaries,  who  had  gone 
before,  had  but  little  more  than  built  their  fires  over  against 
the  gloom.  Now  and  then  a  man  Avould  come  out  of  the 
deeper  shadows,  attracted  by  their  briglitness.  These  men 
revealed  the  hidden  want.  It  was  that  hidden  want  which 
cried  so  loudly  to  the  heart  of  Livingstone,  His  Highland 
blood  was  consecrated  to  Christ.  He  could  not  accept  a  service 
which  was  less  than  heroic.  He  could  not  measure  his  obliga- 
tions by  apparent  expediency  and  personal  safety.  The  English 
power  on  the  Cape  had,  in  God's  providence,  provided  a  footing 
for  Christianity  on  the  unreclaimed  territory.  Light  had 
stepped  on  the  coast  of  darkness;  that  was  all.  The  radiance 
must  be  guide  through  the  gloom,  Livingstone  rejoiced  in  the 
undertaking.  We  will  find  that  his  work  assumes  the  char- 
acter of  exploration.  It  was  the  work  of  Christian  zeal.  It  was 
tl^e  gospel  in  ct^ntrol  of  a  man  penetrating  the '"regions  beyond." 
Tiie  same  gosjx-l  has  been  the  unnn^ognized  ]K)wer  in  all  the 
histories,  wrapping  the  world  with  the  joys  and  beauties  of  true 
civilization. 

The  Cape  Colony  is  divided.     The  divisions  are  the  Eastern 


CAPE  TOWN   AND   KUEUMAK  63 

and  Western.  Cape  Town,  where  the  missionary  landed,  is  a  city. 
It  occupies  a  splendid  amphitheatre;  three  lofty  mountains 
describe  an  are  about  it.  There  is  Table  Mountain,  rising  nearly 
4000  feet  above  the  sea.  Lion's  Head  and  Devil's  Peak. 
The  city  nestles  in  their  friendly  shadows,  and  looks  at  itself 
in  the  sea.  There  are  30,000  inhabitants,  all  sorts  of  people, 
Dutch,  English,  Negroes,  Malays,  Hottentots,  everything  and 
nothing.  The  streets  are  straight ;  they  cross  at  right  angles ; 
they  are  tlireadcd  by  canals,  along  whose  banks  there  are 
rows  of  stately  trees.  The  houses  are  flat  on  top ;  they  have 
great  block  stoops  in  front,  where  the  inmates  lounge  in  the 
evening.  There  are  fifteen  churches.  Mohammedanism  is 
there,  watching  most  jealously  the  intrusion  of  Christianity, 
There  is  a  good  government,  and  the  sects  may  quarrel  securely. 
They  do  it.  It  is  a  pity.  All  hearts  ought  to  be  united  in 
saving  the  heathen. 

After  a  little  while  spent  resting,  Livingstone  sailed  from 
Cape  Town  around  to  Algoa  Bay,  and  entered  the  countiy.  It 
is  well  to  look  at  it  on  the  map;  it  will  fix  matters  in  the 
mind.  On  Algoa  Bay  you  will  see  Port  Elizabeth.  This  is  a 
town  of  3000  inhabitants,  an  English  settlement,  and  the 
principal  shipping-point  for  the  eastern  division  of  the  colony. 
It  is  a  door.  Civilization  goes  in  and  out  with  its  blessings 
and  the  returns.  There  is  a  return  for  all  service.  Civiliza- 
tion has  adventured  its  wealth  in  the  service  of  barbarism; 
enlightened  barbarism  has  always  reimbursed  civilization. 
The  Church  carries  the  gospel  to  the  heatlien  at  great  cost ;  the 
hftathen  receive  it,  and  strengthen  the  Church.  The  sun  loses 
nothing  by  lengthening  its  rays. 

Leaving  the  bay  and  the  easy  sailing,  Livingstone  pressed 
on  to  the  farthest  inland  station  of  the  Society.  This  station  is 
called  Kuruman  or  Lattakoo.  It  was  the  headquarters  of  Dr. 
Mofilit,  who  had  spent  many  years  in  that  region ;  whose 
book,  issued  thirty  years  ago,  is  full  of  interest.  This  haspita- 
ble  home  gave  a  noble  daughter  to  be  the  companion  of  tlie 
missionary  explorer. 

Now  fully  on  the  ground,  Livingstone  cast  about  him  with 
characteristic  deliberation  and  courage  and  zeah  It  is  when 
zeal  is  courageous  and  courage  deliberate  tliat  great  things  are 


54 


STUDYIXO   THE    LANGUAGE, 


accomplislicJ.  Quitting  Kiiruman,  and  the  pleasures  and 
encouragements  of  home- faces  and  home-words,  lie  sought  an 
abode  northward.  There  he  denied  himself  all  European 
society  six  months,  that  he  might  identify  himself  with  the 
natives  and  learn  their  language,  their  customs,  their  habits  of 
mind,  their  laws  and  way  of  thinking.  The  tribe  which  he 
had  chosen  was  that  section  of  the  Bechuanas  known  as  Bak- 
wains.  The  future  rewarded  the  sacrifice  he  made  and  the 
labor  he  performed  in  those  first  six  montlis.  He  bought,  by 
those  months  of  toil,  the  key  which  unlocked  for  him  door 
after  door  in  his  sul)sequent  M-anderings.  His  home  in  these 
months  was  at  Litubaraba;  it  was  called  then  Lepelole.  He 
proposed  to  make  a  settlement  there ;  but  while  he  was  at 
Kururaan  on  one  occasion,  the  friendly  Bakwains  were  dispos- 
sessed of  the  territory  by  one  of  those  native  wars  which  arise 
almost  as  frequently  and  unexpectedly  and  terribly  in  barbar- 
ous countries  as  the  wild  winds. 

So  after  some  journeyings  hither  and  thither,  he  selected  the 
"  beautiful  valley  of  Matabosa,"  and  removed  to  it  in  1843.  He 
imme<^liately  identified  himself  thoroughly  with  the  people.  It 
■was  his  nature  and  his  theory  to  do  so.  The  real  interest  which 
he  allowed  himself  to  cherish  in  everything  which  concerned 
them  is  the  truest  explanation  of  their  regard  for  him  and  his 
jieculiar  influence  over  them.  If  they  were  in  want,  he  would 
help  to  provide  for  them ;  if  they  were  in  danger,  he  would 
liclp  to  delis-cr  them.  If  we  would  give  medicine  to  a  child, 
we  give  it  a  toy  first.  He  felt  that  those  people  must  receive 
the  truth  like  a  child  receives  medicine.  He  made  them  like 
liim  by  the  love  he  bore  them,  manifested  according  to  their 
comprehension ;  then  they  would  hear  him  in  matters  which 
vere  strange  and  disagreeable.  This  spirit  led  to  a  very  serious 
affair  only  a  short  time  after  the  settlement  at  Matabosa — an 
incident  which  has  gained  ])eculiar  interest  latterly.  The 
lions  had  become  singularly  troublesome,  venturing  on  most 
daring  depredations  in  broad  daylight.  The  cowardly  natives 
had  surrendered  to  their  superstitions,  and  bemoaned  the  misery 
of  their  sitDation  helplessly  enough,  when  the  killing  of  a  single 
one  of  tlicir  impudent  neighbors  would  have  relieved  them 
cffectuallv.     Under  the  circumstances,  the  missionary  headed  a 


A   'LINO'S   ENCOUNTER.  57 

party  which  he  gathered  and  went  out  to  make  a  victim  which 
should  be  a  hint  to  the  presumptuous  marauders.  After  several 
failures,  they  at  length  discovered  a  lion  sitting  behind  a  small 
bush  on  a  rock.  The  deliberate  aim  of  Livingstone  reached  its 
mark,  but  had  the  effect  of  bringing  the  lion  bounding  ujwn 
him.  Quicker  than  it  can  be  told,  they  fell  together  to  the 
ground,  and  growling  horribly  the  monster  shook  him  furiously, 
inflicting  eleven  wounds  on  the  upper  part  of  the  arm,  and 
crushing  the  bone  into  splinters.  That  wound  was  God's  mark 
placed  on  the  man ;  it  was  that  which  thirty  years  later  served 
to  identify  the  human  remains  which  M'ero  carried  to  England 
as  the  body  of  Dr.  Livingstone.  The  affair  was  one  of  a 
moment;  the  death-shot  had  been  received;  the  rage  of  death 
was  in  the  spring  and  first  grasp  of  the  beast;  then  he  fell 
over  his  victim,  dead.  Livingstone  had  learned  the  language,, 
Iiad  learned  to  ride  an  ox,  had  acquired  some  skill  as  a  pedes- 
trian, and  had  learned  the  delights  of  lion-hunting.  He  was 
prepared  for  his  woi*k,  which  was  opening.  The  spirit  was  in 
him,  and  the  mark  was  on  him:  now  he  might  go  into  the. 
wilderness.     He  attached  himself  to  the  Bakwain  tribe. 


CHAPTER    II. 

1843—1850. 

The  Eecht>anas — The  Bakwains — Sechele — His  Conversion — His  DifSculties— 
Tlie  Government — Baptism  of  Sechele— Cross  and  CroM'n — Difficulties  of  tlie 
Work — Belief  in  Kain-Making — Drought — Noble  Conduct— The  Hopo — 
Kindness  to  Livingstone — Livingstone's  Spirit — The  Boers— Slavery— An- 
tagonistic Principles — Boers  Hate  Livingstone — Sechele's  Resistance — Living- 
stone Accused — His  EtTects  Destroyed — Going  Northward — Desire  to  find  the 
Lake — Desire  to  see  Sebituane — Sekomi — The  Desert— Bushmen— Bakalahari 
—AVater-Sucking— Across  the  Desert — Difficulties— Salt  Pans— The  Zouga — 
Quakers  of  Africa — Lake  Ngami  Discovered — The  Lake — Sebituane — Guicks 
Befused— Sketch  of  the  Zouga — Elephants — Trees — Fish— Bayieye — Kolobeng 
tigain — Home-life  :.n  Kolobeng. 

The  Bcchuanas  live  in  a  country  remarkable  for  its  beauty 
and  fertility,  a  country  abounding  in  herds.  They  are  sepa- 
rated from  the  Cape  Colony  by  the  Sneuwberg  Mountains, 
and  beyond  the  mountains  a  pastoml  district,  where  Bush- 
men and  Hottentots  have  their  wandering  sway,  and  after  these 
the  Orange  river;  just  over  the  Orange  are  the  Bechuanas. 
On  the  left  hand,  which  is  west,  is  the  Kalahari  Desert;  on 
the  right  hand,  which  is  the  east,  lies  the  Caffre  territory  and 
the  mountains.  The  Bechuanas  comprise  a  number  of  tribes, 
whose  chiefs  have  independent  patriarchal  authority.  These 
tribes  are  generally  rather  in  advance  of  their  neighbors  in 
natural  intelligence;  they  dwell  more  in  cities,  and  pay  jnorc 
attention  to  agriculture ;  they  are  more  advanced  in  the  arts. 

The  names  of  Trutter  and  Sumerville  are  associated  with 
the  earliest  knowledge  we  have  of  this  people.  Tiiese  gen- 
tlemen reported  the  discovery  of  Lattakoo  as  late  as  1801. 
It  was  among  these  tribes  that  Mr.  Campbell  did  his  work 
of  love.  Rev.  Robert  Moffat  had  been  there  many  years 
before  1840;  Ijattakoo,  or  Kuruman,  was  his  station.  The 
Bak wains  are  a  Bechuana  tribe;  their  territory  is  north  of 
Kuruman.  Shokuane,  the  city  of  the  cliief,  when  Dr.  Living- 
Si 


sechele's  conversion.  69 

stone  was  there,  is  about  250  miles  from  Ivuruman.  One 
hundred  miles  maj  not  be  despised,  in  a  country  where  all 
journeys  must  be  undertaken  with  one's  eyes  open  to  the 
difficulties  of  forests  and  wild  beasts  and  unfriendly  people, 
and  where  oxen  convey  you.  The  first  settlement,  250  miles 
in  advance  of  the  hardiest  missionary  efibrt,  was  no  insig- 
nificant matter.  Matabosa,  the  mission  station  selected  by 
Dr.  Livingstone,  is  only  a  few  miles  south  of  the  city  of  the 
chief.  Sechele  was  chief.  There  is  frequent  mention  of  this 
man  in  the  books  of  travellers  in  South  Africa  about  that  time. 
He  stands  out  distinctly,  in  the  meagre  African  history  whicli 
we  possess,  a  noble  specimen.  He  was  a  man  of  singular 
intelligence  and  liberality,  and  grasped  with  avidity  the  rudi- 
ments of  reading  and  mathematics,  and  handled  these  keys 
with  a  masterly  skill,  opening  readily  the  avenues  of  knowl- 
edge. He  received  the  Christian  teacher  with  all  cordiality, 
and  was  greatly  delighted  with  the  beauties  of  the  Bible. 
Isaiah  charmed  him;  over  and  over  he  would  exclaim,  "He 
was  a  fine  man  that  Isaiah  ;  he  knew  how  to  speak." 

No  wonder  that  such  a  man,  coming  to  know  the  truth, 
was  full  of  amazement  that  Christian  people  had  been  so  long 
a  time  delaying  to  send  his  people  the  gospel.  "My  fore- 
fathers ! "  he  would  exclaim,  "  why  did  they  not  send  them  this 
word  ■?  They  all  passed  away  in  darkness."  O  that  the  reproach 
of  inactivity  may  be  against  us  no  longer !  The  "  fathers  have 
passed  away  in  darkness  ! "  The  children  !  the  Christian  world 
must  vindicate  the  name  it  bears,  by  arising  in  the  spirit 
of  the  Master,  giving  wings  to  the  word. 

This  noble  man  was  greatly  embarrassed  by  the  incompati- 
bility of  the  demands  of  Christianity  with  the  customs  of  his 
country,  and  particularly  with  the  relations  of  a  chief  There 
he  sat,  in  the  centre;  ranged  around  him,  circle  after  circle, 
were  his  subjects,  in  the  order  of  their  dignity  or  family 
strength.  The  one  bond  which  pervades  the  whole  tribe  is 
tiiat  of  marriage.  The  chief  binds  the  stronger  of  the  under 
chiefs  to  himself  by  taking  wnves  of  their  fiimilies;  these  under 
chiefs  in  turn  fasten  yet  humbler  families  to  them  in  the  same 
way,  and  so  on. 

The  whole  tribe  is  a  family ;  the  chief  is  the  head  of  the 


60  CROSS    AND    CROWN. 

family.  The  missionary  did  not  need  instruct  Sechele  concern- 
ing the  impropriety  or  sinfulness  of  some  of  his  customs.  His 
own  intelligence  discovered  his  duty,  and  in  the  bitterness  of  his 
struggle  he  cried :  "  Oh !  I  wish  you  had  come  to  this  country 
before  I  became  entangled  in  the  meshes  of  our  customs." 
Here  was  a  heathen  chief.  The  chiefs  under  him  were  identi- 
fied with  him  and  bound  to  him  by  the  wives  whom  he  had 
taken.  If  he  abandons  polygamy  he  offends  the  under  chiefs ; 
he  shakes  the  whole  tribe  to  its  circumference.  Two  years  and 
a  half  he  battled  with  these  difficulties;  the  convictions  of  duty 
were  permanent ;  the  sacrifice  stood  facing  the  service.  It  was 
the  old  and  ever-new  Cross  against  the  Crown.  . 

During  those  two  years  and  a  half  Sechele  co-oi^erated  with 
Dr.  Livingstone  heartily,  and  manifested  much  concern  that  the 
gospel  might  be  accepted  by  his  people.  Indeed,  he  proposed 
to  introduce  it  in  true  African  style,  by  the  lash  of  his  whip. 
T'hen,  when  discouraged  from  that  method,  he  wondered  and 
grieved  that  only  in  this,  where  of  all  things  he  would  have 
them  imitate  him,  his  people  despised  his  example.  At  length 
the  hour  came ;  the  decision  was  strong.  Sechele  asked  for  bap- 
tism, and,  influenced  entirely  by  his  own  convictions  of  right, 
broke  away  from  all  those  customs  which  he  perceived  to  be 
improper.  He  sent  home  all  of  the  wives  except  his  first,  and 
gave  to  her  his  heart  anew  in  Christian  purity.  This  interfer- 
ence of  Christianity  with  polygamy  is  one  of  its  most  unpopular 
features  in  Africa.  But  the  directness  and  nearness  of  Christian 
approach  to  God,  the  setting  aside  not  only  of  their  customs, 
but  of  their  superstitions,  is  a  still  greater  difficulty. 

Most  conspicuously  among  the  Bakwains  was  their  faith  in 
the  art  or  power  of  the  rain-maker.  Their  country  borders  on 
the  desert ;  frecpieutly  they  need  water ;  the  rains  are  withholden  ; 
there  are  men  who  profess  to  bring  rain ;  they  administer  medi- 
cine to  the  elements ;  they  claim  the  rain,  if  it  comes,  as  brought 
by  them ;  if  it  doas  not  come,  then  they  argue,  **  No  man  is 
expected  to  succeed  in  every  particular  matter."  Now,  Religion 
says.  Ask  God  for  rain ;  they  prefer  to  ask  the  rain-doctor ;  they 
cannot  see  God  ;  they  see  the  rain-doctor ;  they  see  his  medicine 
bag;  they  are  in  trouble;  they  think  their  ancestors  got  rain  so. 
It  is  hard  for  them  to  decide ;  they  cling  to  the  superstition. 


TnE   DEOUGUT   AND   HOPO.  63 

During  the  three  years — the  earlier  years  of  Livingstone's 
settlement — there  was  almost  a  continuous  drought.  Sechele 
had  been  a  noted  rain-doctor;  now  he  would  not  do  anything. 
They  felt  that  Christianity  was  to  account  for  their  parched 
fields  and  famished  herds  and  their  own  great  suffering.  They 
were  slow  to  embrace  Christianity.  To  Dr.  Livingstone  they 
would  say,  "  We  like  you  as  well  as  if  you  had  been  born 
among  us,  but  we  wish  you  to  give  up  that  everlasting  preach- 
ing and  praying.  You  see  we  never  get  rain,  whilst  those 
tribes  who  never  preach  and  pray  have  plenty."  Indeed,  with 
such  impressions,  there  is  no  difficulty  in  comprehending  their 
feelings,  if  we  can  only  realize  their  distress  during  those  three 
years — the  rivers  running  dry,  the  leaves  dying  on  the  trees, 
needles  retaining  their  polish  perfectly  lying  in  the  street,  the 
mercury  standing  at  134°  three  inches  under  ground.  Only  the 
long-legged  black  ants  seemed  to  prosper ;  they  only  deserve  to 
be  said  to  live ;  eveiything  else  seemed  ready  to  give  up.  They 
toiled  on,  under  the  cover  of  recurring  darkness,  year  in  and 
year  out;  somehow  or  other  finding  moisture  for  their  mortar, 
and  rearing  their  singular  mansions.  It  was  a  mockery.  Birds 
Buffered,  beasts  suffered,  reptiles  suffered,  fish  suffered,  beetles 
placed  on  the  surface  died  in  half  an  hour,  man  suffered ;  only 
the  chambers  of  these  strange  creatures  were  surprisingly  humid. 
It  was  a  question  for  the  curious. 

Secliele's  people  did  nobly.  They  sold  ornaments;  the 
women  did  that.  There  are  women  in  Africa.  It  is  woman's 
mission  to  arise  to  her  noblest  M'ork  in  times  which  crush  men. 
It  is  the  mission  of  African  women.  They  sold  ornaments — 
for  corn — to  other  tribes.  The  men  resorted  to  the  Hopo ;  this 
is  a  mammoth  trap,  which  is  set  for  the  giants  of  the  wilderness. 
If  you  look  at  the  picture,  it  is  easily  understood.  It  is  made 
of  huge  piles  driven  firmly  in  the  ground,  and  boughs  of  trees 
closely  interwoven  with  the  piles.  There  is  a  strong  barricade 
formed  in  this  way ;  it  extends  about  a  mile.  At  the  point  of 
the  V  formed  by  these  hedges  there  is  a  lane ;  at  the  end  of  the 
lane  a  pit.  The  men  easily  enclose  within  these  hedges  a  large 
number  of  animals,  which,  terrified  by  the  furious  yells  of  the 
hunters  and  their  sharp  javelins,  rush  madly  along  the  converg- 
ing hedges  and  the  narrow  lane  until  the  treacherous  pit  re- 


64  WANT   AND    BOERS. 

celves  them.  It  is  a  wild,  cruel  scene.  It  is  the  law  of  extrem- 
ity to  be  cruel.  The  Bakwains  arc  kind  until  they  sufl'cr ;  so 
are  people  generally.  Want  is  lawless.  Through  all  of  their 
extremity  Dr.  Livingstone  was  treated  kindly  and  wrought 
diligently  for  their  enlightenment  and  salvation.  The  work  of 
saving  men  is  independent  of  their  condition ;  men  need  the 
gospel  all  the  time.  Dr.  Livingstone  recognized  the  difiicul- 
ties.  He  knew  that  the  uncertainty,  the  anxiety  about  the 
things  that  perish,  the  lawful  solicitude  about  food,  was  indeed 
a  mighty  hindrance  to  his  success.  He  did  not  suspend  his 
work,  but  he  gave  the  suiferers  his  sympathies.  It  will,  indeed, 
be  well  when  the  Christian  churches  awake  thoroughly  to  the 
importance  of  seeking  directly  the  improvement  of  the  heathen, 
not  only  in  knowledge  and  in  their  social  life,  but  in  the  condi* 
tions  of  bodily  comfort  and  happiness. 

The  life  of  Livingstone  is  a  lesson.  He  was  a  Christian. 
He  was  a  missionary.  He  determined  to  open  a  way  that  the 
world  might  enter  Africa ;  that  the  enlightened  might  lift  up 
the  benighted ;  that  the  Church  might  address  the  people  wlio 
have  been  aided,  who  arc  stronger  and  happier  for  the  coming 
of  the  Church.  But  there  was  an  obstacle  to  be  confronted  by 
our  missionaries  among  these  tribes  harder  to  overcome  than 
prejudices,  than  customs,  than  wants.  That  obstacle  was  living. 
It  called  itself  civilized;  it  called  itself  human.  It  was  in 
human  shape  ;  it  was  encouraged  by  outside  civilization.  The 
Cashan  Mountains,  just  north  of  the  Bcchuanas,  Avere  occupied 
by  the  Boers.  There  are  people  known  as  Boers  in  Cape 
Colony;  they  are  a  very  industrious,  honorable  class.  These 
are  not  like  them.  The  mountains  Avere  formerly  occupied  by  a 
cruel  Caffre  chief;  he  had  been  expelled.  The  Bechuanas  re- 
joiced too  soon  when  the  Boers  came  in  his  place.  They  had 
too  much  confidence  in  white  skin.  The  Caffre  had  been 
"cruel  to  his  enemies  and  kind  to  the  conquered.  The  Boers 
killed  their  enemies  and  enslaved  their  friends."  They  had 
settlcKl  in  Africa  out  of  antipathy  to  the  African.  They  culti- 
vated their  farms  with  unpaid  labor.  It  was  compulsory  labor; 
tlicy  were  heartless  in  their  metho<ls  of  securing  slaves.  They 
would  murder  men  and  women  and  burn  a  town  to  make  cap- 
tives of  the  children;  the  children  grew  up  accustomeil  to  the 


>?^iiK 


-iW«*»>*V 


it^:^-Mim^  'i»  /       ;v'r*r„v,''-  'r  ii^^'; 


y 


PEESECUTION  AND    PJROVIDENCE.  67 

yoke.  The  tribes  hated  slavery,  but  were  degraded  by  it. 
It  seemed  inevitable.  Sometimes  people  would  sell  their  chil- 
dren. The  inevitable  becomes  tolerable.  Besides  the  degrada- 
tion, there  was  the  constant  trepidation  and  absolute  insecurity. 
The  shadow  of  those  mountains  became  a  decree  of  instability. 
This  hindered  the  missionary  work ;  that  was  Livingstone's 
work.  Christianity  and  the  Boers  were  enemies.  The  Boers 
were  the  enemies  of  Livingstone ;  they  did  everything  in  their 
power  to  prevent  him  in  every  undertaking.  The  missionary 
would  educate  the  people ;  he  emancipated  their  minds  ;  they 
would  become  free  and  strong.  Trade  is  the  comjianion  of 
Christianity  in  heathen  countries.  Traders  follow  missionaries ; 
they  followed  Dr.  Livingstone.  These  traders  sold  guns  and 
powder.  The  Boers  were  cruel  to  the  weak,  therefore  they  were 
cowardly.  They  dreaded  the  trader  because  they  dreaded 
jjowder  and  guns.  They  dreaded  Livingstone  because  they 
dreaded  the  trader.  There  could  be  no  peace.  And  when,  at 
last,  Sechele  arose  in  self-defence  and  killed  the  first  Boers  ever 
slain  by  Bechuanas,  Livingstone  was  denounced  as  the  instiga- 
tor of  their  action.  It  was  then  that  the  Boers  destroyed  his 
house,  his  books,  his  papers,  his  all.  They  were  determined 
that  he  should  not  open  the  country.  They  set  him  free  to  do 
it,  and  forced  him  to  do  so  by  tearing  up  his  nest.  They  were 
cruel  to  Livingstone,  but  God  was  kind  to  Africa.  The  mis- 
sionary could  do  nothing  under  the  Boers ;  he  must  go  north- 
ward. If  he  went  northward  or  eastward  or  westward,  the  way 
he  went  would  become  a  road,  and  the  light  would  stream  in 
stronger  and  stronger.  God's  Spirit  had  made  the  missionary  ; 
God's  Providence  was  making  the  explorer. 

Several  years  had  been  spent  battling  Avith  these  difficulties. 
The  labors  of  Dr.  Livingstone  had  extended  several  hundred 
miles  eastward  from  Kolobeng.  He  had  established  an  inti- 
mate friendship  with  Sechele,  and  other  Bechuana  chiefs,  besides 
gathering  considerable  information  about  the  regions  beyond. 
But  the  beyond  was  across  the  desert.  The  desert  was  a  diffi- 
culty. It  was  a  heartless  difficulty,  but  it  was  not  human ;  it 
was  limited.  There  were  no  Boers  on  the  other  side ;  there  were 
only  heathen,  and  the  Lake  Ngami.  This  lake  had  long  been 
an  object  of  anxious  curiosity  to  people  interested  in  African 
4 


G8  THE   DESERT   MUST   BE   CROSSED. 

matters ;  and  beyond  Ngami,  the  home  of  a  far-famed  chief 
and  an  intelligent  tribe  promised  a  most  desirable  footing  for 
Christianity.  Sebituane  was  the  chief  of  the  Makololo.  Se- 
bituane  was  a  really  great  man ;  his  praise  was  on  the  lips  of 
other  chiefs;  he  was  a  generous  man.  Dr.  Livingstone  longed 
to  know  him  and  teach  him  of  Christ.  He  desired  to  gain  his 
great  influence  and  the  strength  of  his  tribe  to  the  gospel.  The 
chief  of  the  Bamangwato,  the  tribe  just  above  the  Bak wains, 
almost  between  Sechele  and  the  lake,  knew  a  route  to  it,  but  he 
would  not  tell  it,  because  he  did  not  wish  the  ivory  of  the  lake 
region  to  become  accessible  to  the  outside  world.  There  was 
only  one  thing  to  do.     The  desert  must  be  crossed. 

In  this  undertaking  Livingstone  was  joined  by  Mr.  Oswell 
and  Mr.  Murray,  both  of  them  noted  travellers.  The  formida- 
ble region  before  them  was  one  of  peculiar  interest,  though 
peculiarly  inhospitable.  It  was  a  desert  that  was  not  a  desert. 
There  was  only  one  want.  That  want  was  w'atcr.  There  are 
trees  and  vines  and  grasses,  and  animals  and  reptiles  and  people; 
but  everything,  from  the  men  to  the  creeping  vine,  is  searching 
for  water.  The  plants  search  downward,  and  send  their  roots 
far  beneath  the  parched  surface ;  they  must  find  moisture,  be- 
cause they  seem  to  laugh  at  the  sun.  The  animals  are  such  as 
can  go  long  periods  without  water.  Their  sagacity  discovers 
the  few  fountains  and  pools  which  are  here  and  there.  The 
human  inhabitants  are  Bushmen  and  Bakalahari.  The  Bush- 
men love  the  desert.  The  Bakalahari  love  freedom.  They 
find  the  freedom  in  the  desert  which  they  lost  elsewhere ;  there- 
fore, they  are  in  the  desert.  There  are  plants  in  this  wilderness 
which  take  the  place  of  fountains.  They  bear  quite  a  number 
of  tubers,  which  are  filled  with  a  cool,  refreshing  liquid  ;  these 
tubers  are  deeply  buried  far  below  the  crust.  They  are  betrayed 
only  by  a  stalk  as  large  as  a  crow's  quill.  There  are  vast 
quantities  of  watermelons  in  some  years.  Every  living  thing 
in  the  desert  rejoices  when  these  abound.  But  there  Averc  none 
when  I^ivingstone's  party  was  there.  The  human  dwellers  of 
the  desert  use  all  care  in  concealing  the  few  watering-places 
which  exist.  Art  helps  the  desolation.  The  women  have  a 
singular  method  of  obtaining  water  from  these  hidden  pools. 
They  gather  about  the  spot  with  their  vessels,  which  are  only 


BUSHMAN  S   CAMP 


FOR   THE   LAKE   NOAMI.  71 

.ostrich  egg-shells,  Avlth  a  small  hole  in  them.  They  thrust  one 
end  of  a  small  reed  down  to  the  water,  and  applying  the  lips  to 
the  other  end,  suck  up  the  precious  fluid,  which  passes  from  the 
mouth,  through  another  reed  or  large  straw,  into  the  shell. 
Thus  they  improvise  a  pump.  When  they  have  filled  a  num- 
ber of  shells,  they  are  borne  far  away  from  the  spot  to  their 
homes.  Nobody  finds  water  by  finding  the  Bakalahari.  Its 
existence  is  accounted  their  sacred  secret.  It  is  because  the 
tribes  outside  can  find  no  water  that  they  are  secure. 

The  Bushman's  security  is  in  his  poisoned  arrows,  which  he 
uses  with  great  cordiality  when  occasion  demands  it.  The 
Bushmen  are  manly-looking  and  brave;  the  Bakalahari  are 
mean-looking  and  timid.  The  weak  and  the  strong,  the  brave 
and  the  timid,  have  each  their  reason  for  chosing  this  home ; 
they  find  their  interests  identical,  so  they  live  together.  The 
Bushmen  are  hunters ;  the  others  live  on  roots  and  fruits,  and 
trade  between  the  Bushmen  and  the  world,  with  skins  and 
tobacco. 

It  was  the  1st  of  June,  1849,  when  Messrs.  Livingstone, 
Oswell  and  Murray  left  Kolobeng  for  the  Lake  Ngami.  Mes- 
sengers had  come  from  the  chief  of  the  lake  country,  whose 
name  was  Lechulatebe,  inviting  Dr.  Livingstone  to  visit  him. 
These  messengers  had  brought  wonderful  accounts  of  the  ivory 
to  be  had  there.  Their  accounts  stimulated  the  Bakwaiu 
guides,  though  th-cy  did  not  lessen  the  difficulty  of  the  journey, 
because  wagons  could  not  proceed  by  the  route  which  they  came. 
The  party  was  furnished  with  oxen  and  wagons  and  guides 
and  servants.  AVe  can  hardly  convey  an  impression  of  the 
picture.  They  slowly  skirted  along  the  desert,  from  pool  to 
pool.  There  were  a  score  of  men,  twenty  horses,  and  about 
eighty  oxen.  They  passed  Boatlonaraa  and  Lopepe.  At  Mashue, 
they  left  the  road  which  they  had  followed,  and  struck  out 
northward,  upon  the  desert.  They  pressed  on  to  Serotli.  It 
was  toilsome  progress — the  deep  sand  conspired  with  the 
scorching  sun.  Serotli  was  only  a  sucking-place,  and  there 
was  the  delay  of  several  days  before  the  party  was  refreshed  by 
its  slow  stream.  There  was  nothing  more  remarkable  than  the 
impatience  of  a  guide,  the  herds  of  wild  animals,  and  dissuasions 
of  Sekomi,  who  sent  messengers  expressing  the  greatest  anxiety 


72  KCHOKOTSA   AND   THE   ZOUGA. 

about  them.  Cupidity  is  a  liypocrite  in  Africa  and  everywhere. 
Sekomi  feared  Livingstone  would  find  the  ivory :  he  pretended 
to  be  afraid  he  would  be  lost  in  the  desert. 

At  Nchokotsa  our  travellers  were  entertained  with  a  wonder- 
ful and  charming  illusion.  Passing  out  of  a  thick  belt  of  trees 
there  burst  upon  their  view  what  seemed  to  be  a  beautiful  lake. 
The  setting  sun  was  casting  a  lovely  haze  over  the  surface ;  the 
waves  were  seen  as  if  dancing  and  rippling;  the  shadows  of  the 
trees  were  true  as  life.  The  reward  of  their  toil  seemed  at 
hand.  They  were  disappointed  on  finding  that  there  was  no 
lake,  no  water — only  a  great  salt-pan.  The  wonderful  mirage 
had  deceived  them.  Over  and  over  as  they  passed  northward 
were  they  deceived  in  the  same  manner.  The  object  of  their 
quest  was  still  far  away. 

At  length  they  struck  the  river  Zouga,  flowing  by  the  village 
of  Bakarutse.  The  people  of  the  village  informed  them  that 
this  noble  river  flowed  from  the  lake.  Now,  then,  they  had  the 
thread — an  unerring  guide.  They  had  water;  success  was  a 
matter  only  of  days  and  life.  When  they  had  passed  along 
this  river  nearly  a  hundred  miles,  they  met  the  hospitality  of 
the  lake  chief.  The  tribes  had  received  orders  to  give  to  the 
travellers  all  desired  aid,  and  expedite  his  advance  with  all 
readiness.  The  Bakoba  was  found  to  be  one  of  the  most  inter- 
esting of  these  tribes.  They  are  the  men  of  peace,  tho  '^  Quakers 
of  Africa."  Their  pride  is  in  their  canoes.  All  day  they  de- 
light to  strike  their  supple  oars  into  the  beautiful  water  of  their 
river ;  at  night  they  love  to  sleep  in  their  boats,  safely  fastened 
in  the  stream.  The  river  Tamunak'le  flows  into  the  Zouga. 
The  party  passed  its  mouth;  it  flows  down  from  "a  country 
full  of  rivers."  It  was  the  1st  day  of  August,  1849,  when  our 
travellers  went  down  together  and  looked  on  the  broad  Lake 
Ngami.  The  discovery  of  this  lake  was  pronounced  to  eclipse 
all  precc<ling  discovery  in  Southern  Africa.  This  point  fur- 
nished the  key  to  all  the  lower  portion  of  the  continent,  and 
contributed  greatly  to  tiie  interest  of  African  travel,  while  it 
invited  a  deeper  interest  in  trade.  This  discovery  associated  the 
name  of  Livingstone  with  the  noblest  explorers  of  history. 

This  lake  is  estimated  to  be  nearly  a  hundred  miles  in  cir- 
cumference.    It  lies  about  two  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of 


ALONG   THE   ZOUGA.  73 

the  sea.  The  water  is  cold  and  soft,  and  fresh  when  full ;  when 
very  low,  it  is  a  little  brackish. 

But  after  so  much  toil,  the  main  object  of  Dr.  Livingstone 
was  not  to  be  realized  at  this  time.  As  wg  said  before,  while 
he  was  in  fact  an  explorer,  he  had  a  loftier  aim.  He  was  :i 
missionary.  He  desired  to  see  Sebituane,  but  Lechulatebe  was 
unwilling  that  he  should  go  there,  and  refused  guides,  and  sent 
an  order  to  the  Bayieye  to  refuse  passage  across  the  river. 
Lechulatebe  was  afraid  of  Sebituane,  who  had  killed  his  fsither 
and  conquered  his  territory  long  before;  from  whom,  indeed, 
he  had  himself  been  ransomed.  Tiie  season  was  far  advanced; 
they  could  not  go  on.  Tlie  party  turned  back  and  passed 
leisurely  down  the  Zouga,  Mr.  Oswell  having  volunteered  to 
bring  up  a  boat  from  the  Cape.  On  one  side,  the  banks  of  the 
Zouga  arise  perpendicularly ;  on  the  other,  they  slope  away 
gracefully,  clothed  with  grass.  Along  these  grassy  slopes  the 
Bayieye  have  constructed  pitfalls,  in  which  to  entrap  the  wild  ani- 
mals, when  they  come  down  to  the  water's  edge  to  drink.  These 
traps  are  so  carefully  concealed  that  every  now  and  then  some  of 
the  party  would  fall  into  one,  though  using  all  vigilance  to  avoid 
them.  But  not  un frequently  the  sagacity  of  the  lordly  elephant 
is  superior  to  this  strategy.  The  old  ones  have  been  known  to 
precede  the  rest,  and  carefully  uncover  every  pit  before  allowing 
them  to  go  down  to  drink.  These  animals  were  found  in  great 
numbers  along  the  southern  bank  of  the  river.  A  beautiful 
antelope,  feeding  in  vast  herds,  attracted  much  attention.  Its 
noble  appearance,  with  head  uplifted,  gazing  curiously  upon  the 
party;  its  full  white  breast;  its  long,  curving  antlers;  the 
splendid  agility  displayed  as  it  went  bounding  away  over  the 
undergrowth,  were  indeed  charming.  Magnificent  trees  adorn 
the  banks;  their  shadows  are  on  the  glassy  surface.  Some  of 
these  trees  measure  twenty  feet  in  diameter.  They  are  crowned 
with  splendid  flowers  of  various  hues.  Their  wonderful  ever- 
green foliage,  drooping  gracefully,  presents  most  charming 
retreats.     They  are  grand,  natural  arbors. 

When  the  eye  falls  from  these  majestic  views,  and  wearies  of 
(he  feeding  herds  and  rests  upon  the  water,  there  may  be  a  fish 
just  leaping  into  the  sun,  or  a  singularly  beautiful  and  harmless 
•  nake  gliding  along  the  shining  surface.     The  Bayieye  are  fish- 


74  KOLOBENG    HOME    LIFE. 

ermen,  and  eat  what  they  catch.  They  make  nete  j  stscsngely 
enough,  too,  their  nets  are  not  unlike  our  own.  They  show 
great  dexterity  in  harpooning  the  hippopotamus.  Whsn  once 
their  barbed  blade  has  fixed  itself  in  their  victim,  he  has  only 
one  of  two  things  to  do — the  boat  must  be  smashed  oi  he  must 
surrender. 

Ecturning  thus,  as  they  went,  Dr.  Livingstone  and  his  party 
reached  Kolobeng,  Mr.  Oswell  having  gone  on  toward  the  ( 'ape. 
The  journey  had  been  accomplished ;  white  men  had  looked 
on  the  water  about  which  untangible  accounts  had  made  them 
so  curious.  There  had  been  hardships,  but  humanity  had  been 
served.  The  way  was  opened  for  Christianity.  The  inquiring 
and  generous  sympathizers  with  the  ignorant  and  degraded  in 
those  dark  forests  had  received  new  inspiration.  The  news  of 
this  discovery  had  kindled  a  new  interest  in  Africa.  The  hardy 
missionary  decided  to  spend  the  winter  with  his  family  in  Ivolo- 
beng.  But  it  was  not  lost  time.  His  hands  were  full.  People 
generally  have  a  poor  idea  of  the  real  life  of  those  noble  few 
w^hom  God  calls  to  forsake  the  leisure  and  comfort  oi  civiliza- 
tion for  the  toils  and  responsibilities  of  a  foreign  field.  While 
this  noble  man  is  waiting  on  the  winter  rains,  we  may  look  in 
upon  the  home  which  he  has  made. 

About  the  only  facilities  which  Africa  oifers  the  architeci  who 
works  on  the  models  of  civilized  life  is  material.  The  liouse 
which  he  builds  must  be  dearly  bought  Avith  many  days  oi  hard 
work.  This  was  emphatically  so  of  a  home  among  the  Bak- 
Avains  ;  because  they,  however  willing,  have  a  queer  Inability  to 
put  things  square.  Dr.  Livingstone  had  to  place  every  brick 
and  beam  with  his  own  hand.  After  the  house  comes  the  living 
in  it.  The  romance  of  hardship  becomes  very  real  in  years.  It 
must  be  true  benevolence  which  finds  pleasure  in  the  want  of  all 
the  conveniences  of  early  experience.  We  smile  quite  seriously 
to  see  Mrs.  Livingstone  going  out  with  a  large  batch  of  dough 
and  depositing  it  in  a  great  hole  which  the  doctor  has  scooped 
out  in  a  great  ant-hill,  the  only  accessible  oven.  It  makes  one 
tired  even  to  think  of  the  weariness  and  worry  of  improvising 
everything ;  of  manufacturing  soap  and  candles  and  butter  about 
as  Selkirk  might  have  done  in  his  loneliness.  The  city  pastor, 
imagining  himself  run  to  death  with  the  duties  of  his  positioCj 


TAXING  MIND  AND  BODY.  77 

who  hardly  has  time  to  buy  his  own  coal,  forgets  that  the  man 
who  has  volunteered  to  be  his  substitute  under  the  command, 
''  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,"  must  add  to  the  work  of  translating 
or  inventing  a  written  language,  teaching,  preaching,  travelling, 
praying;  the  cultivation  of  his  own  garden,  the  duties  of  smith 
and  carpenter,  the  milking  of  cows,  with  the  hundred  and  one 
things  not  to  be  thought  of  except  as  they  arise.  Such  was  the 
work  on  the  hands  of  Dr.  Livingstone,  while  every  duty  of  his 
had  its  corresponding  duty  for  his  wife.  Then  there  are  ever- 
occurring  acts  of  kindness,  taxing  mind  and  body,  which  the 
noblest  missionaries  have  considered  a  part  of  their  duty.  The 
almost  menial  services  for  the  natives,  themselves  unskilled  in 
the  arts  of  comfort,  are  not  a  mean  part  of  the  work  which  falls 
upon  him.  We  must  think  of  the  great  explorer  passing  back 
and  forth  in  the  whole  range  of  this  extended  sphere  of  activity, 
from  mending  shoes  to  making  Bibles,  and  ever  cheerful  and 
resolute.  We  must  see  his  noble  wife  gladly  and  proudly  hold- 
ing a  hand  with  hira  in  everything,  if  we  would  form  a  true 
conception  of  the  characters  of  the  parties.  And  the  man  rises 
loftily  indeed  in  our  appreciation,  while  we  observe  the  dignity 
and  humility,  the  tenderness  and  the  strength,  the  meekness 
and  the  courage  of  his  life. 


^^^^il,:;,,^^^^^^'^ 


CHAPTER  III. 

DESERTS  AND   FORESTS. 

Livingstone's  Second  Journey  to  the  Lake — Pass  the  Zouga— Forests— Tsetse — 
Recross  the  Zouga — Lake  Ngami  Again — Hopes  of  Seeing  Sebituane — Guides 
Secured — Sickness  of  Children — Return  to  Kolobeng — Opposition  of  Chiefs-^ 
Sebituane's  Messengers — Third  Start — The  Old  Path — Desert — Guide  Wanders 
— Five  Terrible  Days — Water  Found — Banajoa — Guide  to  the  Chobe — The 
Mokolo— Meets  Sebituane — Death  of  Sebituane — Discovery  of  the  Zambesi — 
Returns  to  Cape — Sends  his  Family  to  England — A  New  Tour  Undertaken — 
Party — General  Idea — Former  Occupants  of  the  Cape — Boers  of  the  Cape — 
'Griquas'  Territory — Efiects  of  Mission  Work — Kuruman — Dr.  Moftat — Bible 
Translation— Language — War  of  Boers — Difficulties — Servants  Secured— Starts 
North — Lion — Buffalo — Sechele's  Tour— Serpents — The  Ostrich — Motlasta — 
Belief  in  God — Salt  Pans — Koobe — Famished  Beasts — Livingstone's  Kindness 
— Tremendous  Trees — Singular  Vitality — Civilized  vs.  Native  Hunters — LTnku 
and  Sunday— Difficult  Advance— The  Way  to  Cut*with  the  Axe— Wild 
Animals— The  Sanshureh— Linyanti— May  23,  1853— Cii-cumcision— Appear- 
ance of  Country. 

Dr.  Livingstone  was  not  the  man  to  abandon  a  cherished 
enterprise;  his  rescflution  strengthened  when  difficulties  mul- 
tiplied. He  had  discovered  Lake  Ngami,  but  he  had  not 
seen  Sebituane;  he  had  not  gained  his  great  influence  for 
Christianity.  He  was  determined  he  would  not  relinquish  his 
purpose..  Accordingly  in  April,  1850,  he  began  a  second  journey- 
northward.  This  time  Sechele  joined  him  ;  INIrs.  Livingstone 
also  gave  to  the  party  the  pleasure  and  singular  interest  of  a 
woman's  presence  among  explorers  of  African  wilds,  and  the 
helplessness  and  gleefulncss  of  children  made  the  lumbering 
ox-wagons  seem  like  a  home.  This  time  they  took  a  more 
easterly  route,  and  instead  of  striking  across  the  desert  from 
Bashuc,  as  they  had  done  before,  Livingstone  decided  to  go 
through  the  Bamangwato  town.  The  chief  there,  Letoche, 
confessed  himself  to  have  been  beaten  by  the  success  of  the 
Doctor  in  his  former  journey,  and  declared  himself  content. 
Reaching  the  Zouga, .this  time  the  party  crossed  it,  Living- 
stone designing  thus  to  avoid  the  difficulty  which  he  might 
78 


JLIJUNO  THE   ZOUGA. 


79 


again  have  in  proceeding  if  he  passed  the  ford  and  depended 
on  Lechulatebe  to  assist  him  at  the  lake.  Sccliele  parted 
with  them  here,  being  anxious  to  meet  that  chief.  The  party 
then  passed  along  the  northern  bank  of  the  Zouga.  Their 
progress  was  slow  and  laborious.  The  great  trees  stood  so 
thickly  that  the  wagon-road  had  to  be  made  by  cutting  them 
down,  and  the  multitude  of  pitfalls  proved  a  terrible  affliction 
notwithstanding  all  possible  watchfulness.  The  oxen  were 
sadly  unfortunate  in  combating  with  this  difficulty ;  many  of 
tliem  were  killed  or  crippled :  for  although  the  Bayeiye  were 
friendly  to  Livingstone's  undertaking,  and  would  gladly  uncover 
the  pits,  they  could  not  be  always  aware  of  his  approach.  Thus 
wearily  the  party  pressed  on,  until  they  reached  again  tlie 
confluence  of  the  Tamunak'le.  There  a  fresh  barrier  con- 
fronted them.  There  is  a  fly,  called  the  tsetse,  which  infests 
certain  sections  of  the  country,  whose  bite  is  singularly  fatal  to 
domestic  animals ;  it  is  absolutely  impossible  to  pass  through 
such  sections  without  the  forfeit  of  all  the  oxen  or  horses.  The 
choice  of  the  travellers  was  standing  in  the  wilderness,  return- 
ing, the  tsetse,  and  crossing  to  the  southern  side  again.  They 
crossed,  and  hurried  along  until  once  more  they  looked  on  the 
lake,  by  whose  border  the  engraving  gives  us  the  pleasing 
pTcture  of  Dr.  Livingstone  and  family  enjoying  the  fresh 
morning  as  peacefully  as  ever  a  family  strolled  along  our 
own  lakes. 

The  hesitation  of  Lechulatebe  yielded  at  length  to  the  solicita- 
tions of  Sechele  and  the  offer  of  Dr.  Livingstone^s  splendid  gun  ; 
the  guides  were  promised,  and  arrangements  were  perfected  for 
the  entertainment  of  his  family.  Dr.  Livingstone  was  buoyant 
in  the  thought  of  mounting  his  ox  for  the  home  of  Sebituane. 
The  morning  came ;  with  it  came  disappointment.  The  stub- 
born chief  had  consented ;  a  protest  was  entered  with  which 
there  could  be  no  reasoning,  Avhich  could  not  be  bought  over 
even  by  London-made  guns.  The  children  both  opened  their 
eyes  in  the  morning,  their  little  bodies  scorched  with  ^.^'i^^ 
fever.  The  servants  soon  Avere  its  victims.  There  could  be  no 
debating ;  only  the  desert  air  would  cool  the  fire  in  those  swollen 
veins.  The  second  time  the  hero  was  foiled.  They  returned  to 
Kolobeng. 


80  THE   THIRD    ATTEMPT. 

"When  Sebltuanc  heard  of  the  attempts  of  Livingstone  to  reach 
him,  he  immediately  sent  ]iis  messengers  to  the  chiefs,  with 
presents,  requesting  them  to  render  all  the  assistance  they  could 
to  the  missionary.  He  sent  thirteen  brown  cows  to  Lechulatebe, 
thirteen  white  cows  to  Sekomi,  and  thirteen  black  cow?  to 
Sechele ;  but  though  these  chiefs  were  all  deeply  indebted  to 
Sebituane,  and  greatly  dependent  on  his  clemency,  so  great  was 
their  unwillingness  to  have  the  remoter  regions  of  tiie  continent 
brought  into  contact  with  the  world  outside  that  they  still  per- 
sisted in  hindering  th.e  advance  of  Livingstone  in  every  possible 
manner.  Even  Sechele,  whose  friendship  was  a  thing  of  years, 
and  fixed  by  his  own  conversion,  took  advantage  of  the  absence 
of  Livingstone  to  allow  all  the  messengers  of  Sebituane  to  go 
back  without  him.  The  opposition  was  annoying,  it  was  not 
discouraging. 

Waiting  only  for  returning  health,  the  party  resumed  their 
travelling  trim  and  set  out  on  the  third  journey.  We  little 
think,  who  so  quietly  talk  of  the  light  of  civilization  and  Chris- 
tianity spreading  gradually  over  the  entire  earth,  how  stoutly 
the  darkness  resists  it,  how  heroically  the  pioneers  of  knowledge 
and  gospel  hope  have  striven  in  their  work.  The  track  was 
about  the  same  as  in  former  journeys,  as  far  as  Nchokotsa. 
From  there  it  led  across  a  flat,  hard  country  several  hundred 
miles.  The  salt  pans,  which  so  thoroughly  deceived  the  dis- 
coverer in  his  first  visit,  and  which  are  found  quite  frequently 
on  this  broad  plain,  invite  the  attention  of  the  curious.  Here 
too  are  found  a  great  number  of  wells  and  never-failing  springs, 
among  which  the  Bushmen  wei'e  found — a  friendlier  home  than 
the  desert.  These  precious  fountains  have  their  limit  though. 
Beyond  them  a  wide  and  cheerless  waste  resists  with  its  passive 
strength  the  advance  of  the  traveller.  Before  entering  on  this 
dreary  scene  Livingstone  secured  a  Bushman  guide;  the  guide's 
name  was  Shobo.  Shobo  did  not  excite  their  hopes ;  he  was  a 
prophet  of  evil  on  the  water  question.  It  required  more  than 
heroii^n — it  required  Christianity — to  strengthen  a  man  for  this 
awful  undertaking.  As  the  party  advanced  the  desolation 
deepened.  They  had  left  all  signs  of  life  miles  behind  them  ; 
there  was  only  the  sand.  The  single  piece  of  vegetation  was  a 
low,  mean-looking  scrub.     "Not  a  bird,  not  an  insect,  enliv- 


-^v 


V   %cv«>>^-iiV 


SEBITIANE 


THE   DESERT   AND   THE   CIIOBE,  83 

ened  the  view."  Two  days  passed,  then  Shobo  began  to 
wander;  eveiy  now  and  then  he  wonld  throw  himself  down, 
crying :  "  No  water,  all  country  only ;  Shobo  sleeps  ;  he  breaks 
down ;  only  country."  IIow  shall  we  picture  the  agonies  of 
those  days  to  the  husband  and  father?  Such  a  waste;  a  guide 
whose  mind  wanders ;  the  water  in  the  wagons  nearly  exhausted ; 
the  children  crying  for  thirst ;  the  silent  emblems  of  inexpressi- 
ble anguish  hanging  on  the  eyelids  of  their  mother.  Four  days 
passed.  They  laid  down  in  absolute  helplessness,  only  praying 
for  the  morning  which  they  trembled  to  see.  The  fifth  day, 
toward  evening,  some  of  the  men  returned  to  the  wagons  with 
a  little  of  the  precious  liquid.  No  wonder  it  was  esteemed  God's 
best  gift.  When  the  party  reached  the  Mahabe  they  found 
Shobo,  who,  with  inimitable  acting,  assumed  the  dignity  of 
fathering  the  whole  exploit,  in  the  presence  of  the  Bayeiye. 
At  Banajoa,  the  son  of  the  head  man  volunteered  to  guide  them 
to  the  Chobe,  in  the  country  of  Sebituane.  They  had  exchanged 
the  dreary  desolation  for  rivers  and  swamps  and  the  fatal  tsetse. 
To  the  oxen  it  was  escaping  famishing,  but  death  by  a  slow  and 
terrible  poison.  Singularly  enough  the  bite  of  this  fly  does  not 
harm  human  beings.  The  wild  animals  of  the  country  feed  in 
their  midst  unharmed;  so  does  the  ass,  the  mule  and  the  goat. 
The  horse  dies  in  a  few  days  after  being  bitten,  and  cattle  are 
its  hopeless  victims. 

At  the  Chobe  Livingstone  was  met  by  delighted  Makololo,  who 
conducted  them  joyfully  to  their  chief.  It  is  remarkable  indeed 
to  find  such  a  man  in  the  heart  of  this  long-neglected  continent 
as  Sebituane.  He  Avas  a  speciman  of  the  possible  African  man 
which  fully  repaid  the  toil  and  dangers  of  this  long  journey. 
Through  varied  fortunes,  almost  incessant  Avars,  he  had  reached 
the  dignity  of  being  perhaps  the  greatest  chief  in  the  country. 
With  the  loftiest  courage  he  blended  a  singular  depth  of  sympa- 
thy and  capacity  for  winning  the  hearts  of  his  subjects.  His 
praises  Avere  sounded  far  and  near.  The  people  would  say, 
"  He  has  a  heart.  He  is  wise."  He  Avas  delighted  by  the  visit 
of  the  missionary,  and  felt  himself  honored  by  the  confidence 
which  Avas  manifested  in  bringing  his  family.  But  in  the  midst 
of  his  realization  of  his  long-cherished  desire  this  great  chief  fell 
sick.     Livingstone  desired  to  treat  him  himself,  but  being  cau- 


84  SEBiTu axe's  death. 

tioned  that,  in  the  event  of  his  death  in  that  case,  the  tribe  would 
blame  him,  was  induced  to  do  nothing.  Sebituane  had  become 
greatly  interested  in  the  children  of  his  visitor.  When  he  was 
dying,  he  raised  himself  and  said  to  a  servant,  "Take  Robert  to 
]\Innku  [one  of  his  wives]  and  tell  her  to  give  him  some  milk." 
These  were  his  last  words. 

The  death  of  Sebituane  again  disarranged  the  plans  of  Living- 
stone. The  chief  had  promised  to  go  with  him  through  Iiis 
country  and  select  a  suitable  spot  for  a  station.  Kow  it  would 
be  necessary  to  put  up  with  considerable  delay  while  a  message 
might  be  had  from  his  daughter,  who  inherited  the  chieftainship. 
This  time  was  filled  up  by  Messrs.  Livingstone  and  Oswell,  by 
a  tour  to  the  nortlieast,  where,  after  travelling  some  time,  and 
going,  perhaps,  three  hundred  miles  across  a  flat  country,  varied 
in  its  surface  only  by  enormous  ant-hills,  clothed  at  intervals 
with  forests  of  mimosse  and  mopane,  bearing  the  marks  of  occa- 
jHOual  floods,  they  found  the  Zambesi  in  the  centre  of  the  conti- 
nent— a  broad  and  noble-looking  river.  Among  the  swamps  of 
the  Zambesi  and  the  Chobe  were  the  homes  of  the  Makololo. 
Here  too  had  the  wretched  trade  in  human  flesh  left  its  degrad- 
ing slime.  The  garments  of  baize  and  printed  cotton  told  the 
story  of  the  horrid  traffic.  While  the  heart  of  Livingstone  was 
yearning  for  this  people,  the  demon  was  approaching.  Had  he 
I  ecu  able  to  complete  his  first  journey,  he  would  have  been  on 
the  ground  to  resist  the  first  approaches  of  this  destroyer.  The 
Makololo,  like  their  noble  chief,  despised  the  trade,  and  declared 
they  had  never  until  then  heard  of  people  being  bought  and 
sold.  Indeed,  in  all  Africa,  it  is  the  testimony  of  Livingstone 
and  others  that  the  persons  sold  are  only  the  captives  which  a 
tribe  may  hold.  It  is  a  thing  unheard  of  that  a  man  sells  his 
own  ciiildren. 

The  death  of  Sebituane  and  the  unhealthiness  of  the  Makololo 
region  made  the  desired  settlement  there  impracticable.  The 
animosity  of  the  Boers  left  no  hope  of  peaceable  labors  among 
the  Bakv/ains.  There  was  no  home.  The  hcr()i(!  man  deter- 
mined to  send  his  wife  and  children  to  England,  and  return 
alone  "  in  search  of  a  district  which  might  prove  a  centre  of 
civilization."  In  the  execution  of  this  resolution  he  bent  his 
6t«ps  toward  the  Cape.   About  April,  1852,  he  placed  his  family 


LOOKING   FOR  A   HOME.  85 

on  board  a  homeward-bound  ship,  and  bade  them  a  farewell, 
which  proved  to  be  for  five  long  years.  The  distinct  object  in 
view  Avas  a  central  station  in  tlie  continent,  where  a  mission 
might  be  planted,  from  which  Christian  influence  could  radiate 
the  entire  land.  For  such  an  end,  he  gladly  braved  the  fore- 
seen hardships  and  perils  and  endured  a  long  forfeiture  of  the 
sweet  society  of  the  dearest  friends  of  earth. 

He  left  the  Cape  in  the  lumbering  wagon  drawn  by  ten  oxen. 
The  companions  were  "two  Christian  Bechuanas  from  Kuruman, 
two  Bakwain  men,  and  two  young  girls  who  had  come  from 
Kolobeng  as  nurses  for  the  children,  and  were  now  returning." 
The  party  in  such  stylo  would  be  a  novel  sight  indeed  for 
many  who  read  these  pages.  Think  of  starting  in  such  fashion 
from  New  York  to  St.  Louis ;  imagine  the  strange  forests ; 
see  ever  and  anon  the  animals  which  we  look  on  with  wonder 
through  grated  bars  walking  freely  across  the  plains,  or  bound- 
ing through  thick  jungles.  Where  our  towns  and  cities  are,  let 
there  be  only  larger  or  smaller  clusters  of  queer-looking  huts  of 
mud  and  straw ;  for  the  fashionable  belles  and  gallants  of  our 
communities  think  of  nude  and  dusky  beings,  adorned  only 
wuth  odd-looking  ornaments  of  rude  metals.  But  we  cannot 
imagine  the  thing. 

This  journey  of  Livingstone,  destined  to  stretch  across  the 
whole  continent,  lay  first  along  the  centre  of  the  promontory, 
inclining  a  little  eastward.  Nearer  the  capital  the  inhabitanits 
are  mainly  of  Dutch  and  French  descent.  Africa  too  has  been 
an  asylum  from  religions  persecution.  God  has  allowed  his 
people  to  be  driven  forth  "into  all  the  world."  After  two 
hundred  years  on  this  shore  the  people  are  hardly  changed; 
they  are  honest,  industrious  farmers,  who  have  made  a  sterile 
region  moderately  fruitful,  though  to  the  eye  of  our  traveller  it 
was  uninviting.  There  were  no  trees  crowning  the  dark  brown 
hills,  and  the  plains  looked  like  the  promises  of  a  desert.  The 
names  of  the  places  which  the  party  passed  indicated  that  in 
some  other  time  there  were  buifalo  and  elands  and  elephants 
roaming  over  this  region.  They  have  fled  from  the  approach 
of  civilization.  These  farmers  devote  most  of  their  attention  to 
herds  and  flocks,  and  the  climate  is  peculiarly  favorable  to 
their  choice ;  though,  after  you  leave  the  Cape  some  distance, 


SQ  EFFECTS   OF   TEACHING. 

there  is  a  wide  belt  of  country  which  opposes  an  almost  unsur- 
mouiitable  barrier  to  the  introduction  of  horses  into  the  remoter 
or  central  districts. 

Just  before  the  party  reached  the  Orange  river,  which  crossed 
their  route  some  three  hundred  miles  from  Cape  Town,  the 
monotony  of  the  journey  was  relieved  by  a  vast  herd  of  spring- 
bucks, which  seemed  to  be  moving  away  from  the  Kalahari 
desert.  These  animals  are  said  to  feed  sometimes  in  herds 
which  exceed  forty  thousand  head.  Spreading  over  vast  ex- 
panses, their  quivering  motion  and  tossing  antlers  present  a 
view  of  singular  beauty. 

Across  the  Orange,  they  passed  through  the  territory  of  the 
Griquas — a  mixed  race,  sprung  of  Dutch  and  Hottentot  parents. 
That  famous  chieftain  who  behaved  so  nobly  toward  the  colony, 
a  Christian  man  of  whom  much  is  said  in  "  Moffat's  Scenes  and 
I/abors  in  South  Africa,"  ruled  these  people.  Among  these 
Griquas  there  are  many  Bechuanas  living,  and  both  the  races 
have  received  much  benefit  from  Christian  teaching.  Dr. 
Livingstone  was  a  little  disappointed  in  their  lives.  It  is  diffi- 
cult for  even  those  who  spend  many  years  among  the  heathen 
to  judge  them  fairly.  It  is  hardly  to  be  expected  that  persons 
brought  out  of  such  degradation  to  Christ  should  immediately 
assume  the  proportions  and  symmetry  which  we  expect  of 
Christian  character  in  our  land.  Christianity  has  done  much 
for  them.  The  Bechuana  mission  has  thrown  over  the  whole 
section  the  air  of  civilization,  and  made  Kuruman  a  retreat 
from  the  heathenism  beyond.  It  found  the  Griqua  woman 
clothed  only  with  a  bunch  of  leather  strings  hanging  from  her 
waist,  and  the  skin  of  an  antelope  thrown  over  her  shoulders ; 
the  men  were  smeared  over  with  a  mixture  of  fat  and  ochre, 
with  only  a  few  square  inches  of  leather  for  an  apron  *  that  \vas 
their  wardrobe.  Christianity  has  clothed  these  people  and 
induced  them  to  attend  religious  meetings  regularly.  It  has 
given  a  Sabbath  to  the  people  which  they  respect.  Surely, 
though  we  may  not  compare  them  with  the  societies  at  home, 
we  may  not  despise  the  results  which  missionary  efforts  have 
accomplished. 

At  Kuruman  Dr.  Livingstone  spent  some  time  with  his 
venerable  father-in-law,  who  had  been  at  that  time  thirty-five 


THE    BECIIUAXA    LANGUAGE.  87 

years  in  Africa.  lie  had  at  last  completed  the  translation  of 
the  Bible  into  the  language  of  the  Bechuanas,  and  was  carrying 
it  through  the  press.  He  found  no  written  language  to  begin 
his  undertaking  with ;  he  had  first  to  produce  that,  then 
accomplish  the  translation.  The  work  reveals  something. of 
uncommon  interest.  This  language  possesses  wonderful  copi- 
ousness, and  yet  provides  for  the  expression  of  the  Pentateuch 
in  fewer  words  than  the  Greek  Septuagint,  and  makes  a  much 
smaller  volume  than  our  English  version. 

During  the  delay  at  Kuruman  they  were  surprised  and 
grieved  by  the  coming  of  the  wife  of  Sechele,  reporting  an  attack 
of  the  Boers  on  the  Bakwains,  in  which  they  fully  gratified 
their  cruelty  and  eagerness  for  plunder,  and  vented  a  little  of 
their  rage  against  the  missionary  work  by  robbing  the  house  of 
Dr.  Livingstone. 

This  outrage  of  the  Boers  raised  a  new  barrier.  It  had  so 
terrified  the  Bakwains  that  not  one  could  be  found  who  would 
risk  himself  in  the  company  of  Livingstone;  for  besides  their 
cruelties,  the  Boers  had  made  furious  threats  against  the  man 
whom  they  charged  with  having  taught  the  Bakwains  to  kill 
them.  Only  after  considerable  loss  of  time  and  much  searching 
he  succeeded  in  finding  three  servants,  who  he  describes  as 
being  ''  the  worst  possible  specimens  of  those  who  imbibe  the 
vices  without  the  virtues  of  the  Europeans."  These,  with  a 
colored  man  named  George  Fleming,  who  was  induced  to  go 
with  him,  made  it  possible  to  advance,  and  he  left  Kuruman  on. 
the  20th  of  November,  and  skirted  along  the  Kalahari  as  be- 
fore. This  time  there  was  an  abundant  crop  of  watermelons. 
This  being  the  season  just  preceding  the  winter  rains,  the 
travellers  were  subjected  to  the  peculiarly  hot  winds  of  the 
desert,  which  they  escaped  in  former  travels.  The  party  reached 
the  afflicted  town  of  Sechele  on  the  last  day  of  1852.  No 
wonder  that  the  heart  of  Livingstone  was  grieved  with  the 
spectacle.  Never  had  he  witnessed  one  so  pitiable.  The 
people  were  plunged  in  absolute  misery.  Little  more  could  be 
done  than  to  give  them  the  sympathy  of  his  full  heart.  These 
were  the  people  among  whom  he  had  labored  first.  He  had 
Kved  in  their  midst.  He  had  left  them  only  when  the  inter- 
ference of  the  Boers  rendered  his  work  there  entirely  impracti- 


88  LIOXS    AND    SERPENTS. 

cable.  Sorrowfully  enough  he  left  them  to  follow  the  duty 
which  called  him  again  into  the  wilderness!  He  found  the 
wells  at  Boatlanama  and  Lopepe  all  dry,  and  pressed  on  to 
Mashue,  where  there  was  delicious  water.  There  is  little  which 
can  interest  a  traveller  when  every  step  he  takes  is  taken  so 
anxiously ;  but  the  country  from  Kuruman  is  thronging  with 
all  those  forest  monsters  which  have  made  the  continent  one  of 
wonderful  interest.  By  the  very  fountain  of  Lopepe  a  lioness 
once  sprang  upon  the  horse  of  Mr.  Oswell,  who,  falling  to  the 
ground,  was  only  saved  by  his  faithful  dogs.  The  hyena 
prowls  among  the  forests ;  the  buffalo,  the  elephant,  the  giraffe, 
the  zebra,  the  tiger,  all  are  here.  All  about  Mashue  great 
numbers  of  mice  trace  their  subterranean  homes,  or  raise  the 
odd-looking  little  haycocks,  against  the  inclement  season. 

Occasionally  as  they  went  they  found  a  beautiful  tortoise, 
whose  hard  shell  is  its  secure  castle  even  under  the  teeth  of  the 
lion,  and  a  bid  for  covetousness  to  all  who  love  the  beautifu] 
ornaments  which  they  afford. 

All  about  Mashue  there  are  great  numbers  of  serpents. 
These  are  associated  in  every  mind  with  the  very  word  Africa. 
The  saying,  "  Familiarity  breeds  contempt,"  applies  to  them. 
A  residence  in  this  country  overcomes  that  terror  which  these 
gliding,  coiling  enemies  inspire  in  regions  where  they  are  seldom 
seen.  They  are  death  on  rats.  To  kill  tlie  rats  is  to  be  free  of 
snakes.  There  a  cat  is  a  household  trea^ire.  Some  of  these 
reptiles  are  fearfully  venomous.  The  pecakliolu  is  a  species 
peculiarly  so.  They  are  sometimes  eight  or  ten  feet  long ;  and 
even  when  its  head  has  been  cut  off,  the  fangs  have  been  known 
to 'distil  clear  poison  for  hours.  The  nogo-put-sone,  or  serpent 
of  a  kid,  is  a  sort  of  puff-adder  which  imitates  with  wonderful 
exactness  the  bleating  of  that  animal ;  and,  unquestionably,  the 
uplifted  head,  the  wicked,  glassy  eyes,  the  darting  tongue  of  the 
cobra,  is  calculated  to  suggest  very  serious  reflections  on  death 
and  antidotes. 

Livingstone  in  this  journey  found  the  Bamangwato  chief 
Sekomi  particularly  friendly.  All  of  these  Bechuana  tribes 
south  of  the  Zambesi  practice  circumcision,  and  the  ceremony 
is  attended  witii  singular  severities.  The  young  gentlemen  are 
subjected  to  severe  whippings,  which  leave  their  backs  scarred 


MR.    GORDON   CUMMINGS.  91 

and  seamed  with  fearful  wounds ;  to  which  ordeal  they  must  add 
the  exploit  of  killing  an  hippopotamus  before  they  are  called 
men  and  permitted  to  marry  a  wife.  There  may  be  a  worthy 
lesson  in  this  for  more  enlightened  people ;  for  truly  there  can 
hardly  be  fitness  for  tlie  responsibilities  of  life  before  one  is  in 
gome  way  trained  to  endure,  or  dares  to  do.  Among  these 
tribes  another  singular  fact  is,  that  no  one  knows  his  age,  but 
measures  his  life  only  by  the  initiations  into  the  national  rites 
which  he  has  witnessed. 

The  Bamangvvato  hills,  in  whose  shadow  the  party  passed 
along,  rising  nearly  a  thousand  feet  above  the  plain — vast 
masses  of  black  basalt — are  scarred  and  split  and  everywhere 
present  the  traces  of  volcanic  action.  The  soil  lying  in  the  in- 
terstices relieves  the  barrenness  of  the  lava  marks  with  pleasant 
foliage.  All  along  were  seen  the  chinks  and  cavities  formed 
by  the  broken  masses,  which,  slipping  down,  have  caught  and 
hang  piled  against  each  other,  forming  wild  refuges  for  the 
natives  in  time  of  war. 

Twenty  miles  beyond  the  Baraangwato  the  party  reached  Mr. 
Cummiugs'  farthest  station  north.  This  gentleman  outranked, 
by  far,  all  hunters  in  Africa,  and  many  a  wild  and  thrilling 
story  is  in  his  book,  which  has  aroused  the  Nimrod  spirit  in  tlie 
breast  of  youth.  But  the  chase  along  our  meadows  and  river 
banks  of  the  bounding  buck  or  cunning  fox  is  a  poor  prepara- 
tion for  the  terrific  charge  of  an  infuriated  elephant:  shrieking 
like  a  steam-whistle,  his  proboscis  high  in  air,  his  dread-in- 
spiring tusks  gleaming  awfully,  his  enormous  tread  shaking  the 
earth,  he  rushes  on, trampling  under  foot  every  opposing  thing; 
he  must  have  nerve  who  stands,  and  skill  who  escapes. 

Beyond  Letlachi  they  entered  on  a  plain,  where,  for  sixty 
miles,  there  was  no  water.  Feeding  here  and  there  were 
seen  vast  herds  of  elands,  and  frequently  they  saw  the  silly 
ostrich.  Hardly  any  occupant  of  these  wilds  engages  a  deeper 
interest.  Its  very  folly  is  entertaining;  the  traveller  pities  and 
laughs,  to  see  the  creature,  though  fully  a  mile  away,  in  extreme 
alarm  rushing  straight  toward  him.  The  poor  bird  seems  to 
suspect  that  every  passer-by  is  trying  to  circumvent  him,  and  so 
invariably  seeks  safety  by  rushing  across  the  path,  frequently 
only  a  few  yards  or  rods  before  the  oxen.  "With  enormous 
5 


92  WRETCHED    lG^'ORA^•CE. 

strides  and  astonishing  rapidity  of  motion,  it  rivals  the  fleetest 
horses  in  its  race  for  life,  while  its  feet  are  used  with  remarkable 
dexterity  in  warding  off  the  dogs.  Its  splendid  coat  of  glossy 
black,  and  white-tipped  wings,  flash  in  the  sunshine,  as  it  runs, 
with  peculiar  beauty.  Its  quick  and  far-reaching  vision  consti- 
tutes this  singular  individual  the  sentinel  of  the  plains,  and  its 
timely  alarm  is  the  signal  for  a  general  stampede  of  all  the 
game  in  sight. 

About  the  wells  of  Motlatsa  are  clustered  the  homes  of 
numerous  Bakalahari,  who,  though  kindly  disposed,  and  willing 
enough  to  hear  the  missionar}',  were  yet  so  wretchedly  ignorant 
and  dcifraded,  so  driven  by  the  wants  of  their  poor  bodies,  that 
Livingstone  was  compelled  to  fall  back  only  on  the  great  de- 
signs of  infinite  compassion  and  sovereign  grace  for  support  in 
his  labors  among  them ;  repeatedly,  as  he  was  in  their  midit, 
hardly  an  appreciable  effect  was  observed.  It  was  almost 
impossible  for  these  poor  creatures  to  restrain  their  amusement 
when  he  would  kneel  down  to  pray.  They  saw  no  God,  and 
the  idea  of  talking  to  an  unseen  being  was  ridiculous  to  them. 
Some  of  these  tribes  are  absolutely  wanting  in  the  remotest 
approaches  to  music,  and  are  wild  with  laughter  if  singing  is 
begun  in  their  presence.  Yet  these  lacings  believe  in  a  God. 
Is  it  instinct,  or  the  tuition  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Highest,  which 
instructs  them  to  refer  every  inexplicable  occurrence  to  a 
Supreme  Being?  They  believe  that  there  is  a  God ;  they  do  not 
understand  that  they  may  approach  him.  The  missionaries 
among  the  Bechuana  tribes  and  the  Caffres  have  found  no  idols, 
no  places  of  worship,  no  prayer  of  any  sort.  The  idea  of  an 
altar  must  be  given  them  ;  feeling  that  an  Unseen  has  to  do  with 
them,  they  have  no  sort  of  conception  of  that  Unseen  which 
justifies  their  acting  with  the  slightest  regard  for  it. 

From  these  wells  the  journey  of  Livingstone  lay  toward 
Nchokotsa,  along  the  dry  bed  of  the  Mokoko.  This  is  the 
region  of  the  salt  pans  again,  and  every  fountain  reminds  the 
traveller  of  the  fact.  Ijivingstone  records  that  on  one  of  the 
Halt  i)ans  passed  in  this  trip  there  was  a  cake  of  salt  an  inch  and 
a  half  in  thickness. 

All  along,  just  in  the  edge  of  this  desert,  are  large  flocks  of 
bheep  and  goats,  the  treasures  of  the  Bamangwato.     The  rich 


LAND  OP   CUMMINGS'  FAMOUS  HUNTS 


T5AKALAHARI    FKAST 


WANT   AND    TENDERNESS.  95 


or,  a 


curd  produced  from  the  milk  of  goats  is  held  in  high  fov,.x,  « 
fit  dish  for  kings  indeed;  for  even  among  these  poor  heathen 
on  this  dead  level,  as  we  may  think,  of  human  nabure,  there 
are  distinctions,  marked  hy  matters  as  trifling  as  ever  serve  to 
define  the  borders  of  classes  in  civilized  societj.  The  rich 
master  of  a  flock  of  these  goats,  rejoicing  in  his  palatable  dish 
of  curd-porridgo,  is  heard  to  say  scornfully  of  his  poor  neighbor, 
*'  he  is  a  water-porridge  man."  They  are  no  better  than  civil- 
izecl  people  in  this  matter;  and  with  all  our  gifts,  we  can  never 
claim  to  have  planted  the  spirit  of  aristocracy  even  in  Africa. 
It  is  there  now,  heathendom  though  it  be,  as  night. 

At  Nchokotsa  the  party  found  worse  for  bad.     They  left  salt 
and  purgative  waters  at  Orapa;   to  turn  again  from  a  filthier 
draught,  to  j^ause  ?t  Nchokotsa  wells,  was  to  mock  the  thirst 
their  bitter,  nitrate  waters  could  not  quench.     At  Koobe  mat- 
ters were  hardly  more  promising;  but  it  was  only  a  promise, 
and  might  prove  worthy.     It  was  a  dreary  picture.     There  is 
romance  in  it  viewed  from  our  easy  chairs ;   but  a  wide  flat 
country,  over  which  a  white  sultry  glare  spreads,  relieved  only 
by  herds  of  scorched  zebras  and  gnus,  with  here  a.id  there  a 
thirsty  buffalo  standing  with   famished  gaze  bent  toward  the 
wells,  which  offer  to  them  only  mud— the  recent  wallow  of  a 
huge  rhinoceros— it  is   hardly  a   landscape  to  charm  an  eye- 
witness whose  supply  of  water  is  spent.     The  well  at  Koobe 
was   that   rhinoceros   wallow.     Livingstone   paused   there   for 
water  for  men  and   oxen,  and   looked  about  on  that  withered 
sweltering  scene.     They  could  hardly  clear  a  space  in  the  dirty 
mortar    m   which   the   oozing    beverage   might    be   collected. 
And  there  were  some  days  lost  from  their  progress  in  waitinc^ 
on  this  slow  fountain,  before  the  oxen  could  be  satiated.  ** 

Some  men  would  have  what  they  might  have  called  fine  sport 
shooting  the  animals,  whose  thirst— greater  than  their  timidity 
—held  them  close  about  the  fascinating  sjwt.  But  Livingstone 
was  no  hunter.  He  wa-s  a  nobler  type  of  man.  There  wts  too 
much  of  the  spirit  of  Him  who  guideth  the  sparrow's  wing  and 
feedeth  the  ravens  to  have  pleasure  in  killing  anything.  He 
did  not  scruple  to  shoot  an  animal  for  food,  but  to  kill  them 
for  the  sport-he  would  not.  The  kindness  of  his  heart  w:« 
manifested  in  the  tender  sympathy  which  refused  even  to  pro- 


96  MOWANA   THEES. 

vide  needed  food  by  taking  advantage  of  the  desperate  tameness 
of  the  herds  which  gathered  in  easj  range  of  the  well.  It 
ought  to  be  so  always.  Whoever  goes  forth  in  civilized 
or  heathen  lands  to  represent  Christ  in  presenting  his  gospel 
ought  to  be  animated  with  his  wonderful  spirit  of  tenderness. 
It  is  not  mean  to  bo  touched  by  the  woes  of  a  dog.  It  is  mag- 
nanimous to  respect  the  helplessness  of  a  worm. 

Quitting  this  scene,  the  party  pressed  northward  across  the 
great  Ntwetwe  pan,  and  rested  under  the  shade  of  one  of  the 
magnificent  mowana  trees  which  rise  loftily  all  over  this  broad 
area  of  calcareous  tufa,  with  its  slight  carpet  of  soil.  The  tree 
under  whose  branches  they  rested,  three  feet  from  the  ground, 
was  eighty-five  feet  in  circumference.  In  all  the  forests  and 
plains  of  the  continent  nothing  equals  the  wonderful  vitality  of 
these  mowana  trees.  Livingstone  declared  that  lie  "would 
back  one  of  them  against  a  dozen  floods."  It  does  not  yield 
its  life  to  the  decay  within  or  the  injuries  without.  It  grows 
on  and  wears  its  crown  of  foliage  as  proudly  when  the  capacious 
cavities  within  offer  shelter  to  men  and  beasts  as  when  its  heart 
was  firm  and  healthful.  It  may  have  its  coat  of  bark  stripped 
off  year  by  year,  and  year  by  year  it  somehow  weaves  another 
coat  and  wraps  itself  anew.  The  flames  may  twine  about  it 
and  sear  and  blacken  it:  it  will  not  die.  Dr.  Livingstone 
testifies  that  he  saw  one  which  continued  growing  in  length, 
even  after  it  had  been  cut  down,  while  it  lay  stretched  upon  the 
ground.  There  is  only  one  thing  to  be  done  with  them ;  that 
13,  let  them  alone.  The  natives  say,  the  "  lightning  hates  it,** 
and  decline  even  the  favor  of  its  shade. 

From  this  resting-place,  travelling  a  few  miles,  the  party 
reached  Rapesh,  where  the  inevitable  Bushmen  were  found 
again.  Their  chief  was  Horoye,  and  he  headed  a  nobler  class 
of  men,  better  specimens  in  every  respect  than  their  namesakes 
of  the  desert;  a  jovial  set,  who  love  to  live,  and  decline  to 
follow  their  departed  friends  "just  yet,"  although  they  recog- 
nize a  future  state.  They  love  the  hunting-ground  of  the 
present,  and  their  country  flows  abundantly  with  water ;  that 
is  enough  for  them.  These  men  stand  for  courageous,  because 
they  kill  elephants.  But  nowhere  in  Africa  do  the  natives 
exhibit  such  courage  in  hunting  as  is  displayed  by  their  civil- 


MIDNIGHT    VISITOR.  97 

ized  visitors.  The  Bushmen  are  more  expert  in  handling  llieir 
peculiar  weapons,  because  they  have  had  long  training;  but  if 
it  is  a  question  of  coolncas,  of  quietly  approaching  a  iresh 
strong  elephant,  the  civilized  man  always  astonishes  the  native 
by  his  apparent  recklessness.  Indeed,  it  seems  to  be  the  testi- 
mony of  history  that  pure  courage  is  in  the  ratio  of  moral 
culture.  Animals  lower  than  man,  and  savage  men,  may  be 
ferocious;  civilized  man  presents  the  noblest  models  of  courage. 
Spending  a  Sunday  at  Maila,  our  party  passed  on,  to  be  in- 
vigorated by  the  freshness  and  lifefulness  at  Unku.  YVe  may 
imagine,  if  we  can,  the  relief.  For  the  dreary  barrenness  of 
Koobe,  there  were  now  spread  all  around  the  tall  grass  waving 
in  the  breezes  like  fields  of  golden  grain,  all  the  various  flowers 
blooming  splendidly,  and  everywhere  the  twittering  of  birds 
kept  memorial  of  the  rain  which  had  revived  the  scene ;  while 
the  game,  independent  of  mean  wells,  keeping  a  good  distance, 
despised  the  harmless  guns  of  the  invader.  Surely  it  is  almost 
worth  an  experience  in  the  desert  to  have  the  surprise  and  de- 
light of  coming  again  to  a  world  of  life  and  beauty  and  joy.  But 
it  was  hot.  On  the  ground  the  thermometer  marked  125"^ ! 
The  water,  on  the  surface,  stood  at  100°  ;  dipped  from  the  bot- 
tom, it  was  pleasant.  This  was  in  March,  1853.  Livingstone 
had  left  Kuruman  in  November,  and  was  now  some  six  hundi'ed 
miles  on  his  journey,  though  passing  mainly  through  familiar 
places.  Passing  on  through  a  dense,  bushy  tract,  cutting  their 
way  with  axes,  the  party  were  suddenly  arrested .  by  an  enemy 
ever  lurking  on  the  footsteps  of  travellers  passing  through  this 
region:  four  of  the  party  were  down  with  fever,  which,  in  three 
days,  had  seized  every  one  of  the  party  excei)t  one  Bakwain  and 
Dr.  Livingstone.  While  lying  in  this  place  nursing  the  sick, 
one  night  a  hyena  appeared  in  the  high  grass,  and  frightened 
the  oxen  so  terribly  that  every  one  of  them  rushed  away  into 
the  forests.  The  trusty  servant  had  followed  them,  and  after  an 
absence  of  several  days,  with  no  other  guide  than  his  instinct, 
came  driving  up  the  whole  herd  of  forty  oxen.  The  progress 
now,  burdened  with  the  sick  and  annoyed  with  the  convales- 
cent, obliged  to  cut  a  way  through  the  closely  wedged  trees,  be- 
came exceedingly  laborious;  but  good  health  backed  the  never- 
flinching  spirit  of  Livingstone.     They  were  in  the  18th  degree  of 


98  SPLENDID   COUNTRY. 

latitude.  The  forests  became  more  and  more  formidable.  The 
privilege  of  almost  every  step  must  be  paid  for  by  valiant  ser- 
vice with  the  axe.  The  man  Fleming  was  vanquished,  and 
could  go  no  farther.  Livingstone  pressed  on.  The  heavy  rains 
had  loaded  the  thick  foliage  overhead,  and  the  blows  of  the  axe 
brought  a  continual  shower-bath. 

Again  they  were  subjected  to  the  annoyance  of  a  stampede  of 
the  oxen  ;  this  time  a  lion  did  the  mischief.  The  lions  in  the 
region  through  which  the  party  was  now  passing  are  held  in 
check  by  the  poisoned  arrows  of  the  Bushmen.  As  this  poison 
is  referred  to  frequently,  it  may  be  interesting  for  the  reader  to 
know  that  it  is  "  the  entrails  of  the  caterpillar  called  N'gwa ; 
the  Bushmen  squeeze  out  these,  and  place  them  all  around  the 
bottom  of  the  barb,  and  allow  them  to  dry  in  the  sun.  The 
effect  of  this  poison  on  men  and  beasts  is  alike  terrible,  driving 
them  to  a  perfect  frenzy.  The  Bushmen  told  Dr.  Livingstone 
their  way  of  curing  the  poison  was  to  give  the  wounded  man 
the  caterpillar  itself,  mixed  with  fat,  saying,  the  N'gwa  wants 
fat,  and  when  it  does  not  find  it  in  the  body  kills  the  man ; 
we  give  it  what  it  wants,  and  it  is  content."  Possibly  these 
despised  Bushmen  may  dispute  the  honor  yet  for  the  glory  of 
Plomceopathy. 

At  length  they  came  to  the  first  hill  they  had  seen  since 
leaving  the  Bamangwato.  It  was  N'gwa.  They  had  struggled 
across  quite  three  hundred  miles  of  distressingly  flat  country, 
exchanging  only  almost  insufferable  deserts  for  almost  impassa- 
ble forests,  each  in  turn  only  two  or  three  times  refreshed  by 
anything  like  beauty.  How  joyously  now  the  hero  looked  down 
on  the  picturesque  valley  which  wrapped  the  base  of  the  hill!  a 
beautiful  stream  was  flowing  along  the  glade,  across  which  the 
shadows  of  stately  trees  blended  ;  gnus  and  zebras  and  antelopes 
stood  gazing  on  the  strangers;  a  splendid  white  rhinoceros 
moved  across  the  stage  indifferently  as  a  lord,  while  dark- 
.visaged  buffaloes  stood  about  quietly  under  the  trees.  The  Sab- 
bath seemed  to  be  kept  by  nature,  all  was  so  peaceful.  They 
were  now  literally  surrounded  with  wild  beasts;  the  roar  of  the 
lion  was  continually  in  their  ears;  koodoos  and  the  giraffe  were 
frcfincntly  in  view.  The  wilderness  was  real,  but  as  they 
advanced  became  more  and  more  beautiful.     The  green   grass, 


THE  giraff: 


LINVANTI   ON   THE   CHOBE.  101 

higher  than  the  wagons ;  the  splendid  vines,  hanging  richly  and 
gracefully  among  the  trees,  as  if  arranged  by — they  were 
arranged  by  the  hand  of  God  !  Small  rivers  crossed  their  way 
continually. 

When  he  reached  the  Sanshureh,  he  met  trouble  enough  to 
dishearten  any  ordinary  raan.  He  was  an  extraordinary  man. 
This  new  barrier  met  them  in  latitude  18°  4'  27"  S.,  longitude 
24°  6'  20"  E.  In  vain  they  sought  a  ford ;  they  sought  east 
and  west ;  everywhere  the  same  deep  flood  met  them  as  they 
reached  the  terminus  of  the  rank  undergrowth  through  which 
they  were  splashing  in  water  from  ankk-deep  to  the  arm-pits. 
Everywhere  the  river  was  broad  and  deep ;  everywhere  there 
was  a  wall  of  reeds  resisting  its  approach  through  an  inundated 
swamp.  Heartily  wearied,  the  bold  explorer,  with  a  single 
companion,  pushed  out  a  small  boat  upon  the  stream,  and, 
leaving  the  wagons,  went  floating  down  tiie  stream  until  he 
dropped  among  the  astonished  inhabitants  of  a  Makololo  town 
like  one  from  the  clouds.  In  the  boat  he  had  passed  the  confluence 
of  the  river,  and  was  now  on  the  western  bank  of  the  Chobe,  in  the 
land  of  friends.  By  the  kindness  of  these  Makololo  of  Moremi, 
they  were  assisted  to  bring  the  oxen  and  wagons  across.  This 
brought  them  almost  upon  the  route  of  1851.  It  was  now  the 
23d  of  May,  1853.  They  were  at  Linyanti,  the  capital  of  the 
Makololo  region,  among  the  people  of  Sebituane. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

NINE   WEEKS   WITH   SEKELETU. 

Aruival  at  Linyanti  —  Makololo — Their  Policy — Welcome  to  Livingstone — 
Sekeletu — African  Hospitality — Ma-mochisane's  Difficulty — Livingstone  re- 
fuses to  Trade^His  Labors — Makololo  Ideas  of  Beauty — Manliness — Justice — 
Livingstone's  Journey  to  the  Barotse — The  Soil  along  the  Chobe — The  Party 
— Receptions — Sekeletu  loves  Colfee — Huts  and  Hats — The  Leeainbye — 
Animals  about  Katonga— The  Splendid  River — The  Makalaka— The  Contrast 
— Cattle  and  War — Rapids — Cataracts — Falls — No  Monuments  in  Africa — The 
Barotse  Valley — Fertility— Mounds — Punishment — War  Averted— The  first 
White  Man — To  the  Leeba — No  place  for  a  Mission — The  Wildest  of  all — Lin- 
yanti again — For  Loanda — Serious  Thoughts — Resolution — Outfit  for  Jour- 
ney— November  11th,  18.53 — Escape  from  an  Elepliant — The  Hipjiopotamus — 
The  Scenery  on  the  Chobe — Arrival  at  Sesheke. 

That  was  a  great  day  in  Linyanti,  that  23(1  day  of  May. 
The  capital  of  the  Makololo  had  never  witnessed  such  a  sight. 
The  wagons  were  a  phenomenon  entirely  new.  The  people 
remembered  Livingstone  as  the  friend  of  Sebituane ;  they  asso- 
ciated his  coming  with  ideas  of  increasing  greatness.  It  seemed 
like  the  hand  of  the  great  outside  world  reaching  through  the 
barriers  of  wilderness  and  distance,  eager  in  congratulation  and 
warm  with  brotherly  love.  They  were  glad.  The  nearer  tribes 
had  beaten  back  the  light  from  the  dwellers  in  the  Chobe 
marshes  for  many  years ;  now  it  was  breaking  through,  and 
found  a  people  ready  to  rejoice  in  its  blessings.  The  Makololo 
are  the  most  northern  of  the  Bechuanas,  and,  under  the  wise  and 
warlike  Sebituane,  had  become  a  powerful  nation  ;  the  other 
chieftains  had  acknowledged  the  greatness  of  this  man,  and 
accorded  him  the  respect  winch  they  feared  to  withhold  if  they 
had  desired  to  do  so.  The  Makololo  had  conquered  the  whole 
country  to  the  14°  S.  latitude,  and  were  scattered  thinly  over 
their  broad  domain,  giving  a  name  and  laws  to  the  tribes 
among  whom  their  individual  identity  was  almost  lost.  The 
territory  which  Sebituane  had  selecte<l  in  the  days  when  he  was 
beset  by  continual  wars,  lying  between  the  Chobe  and  Zambesi, 
102 


WELCOME   AT   LINYANTI.  103 

had  furnished  a  natural  fortress;  but  tlie  source  of  tlieir  security 
had  almost  been  the  extermination  of  the  race.  No  enemy  could 
hope  to  assail  Sebituane  successfully  in  those  pestiferous  marshes ; 
but  tlie  malarial  breath  of  the  place  was  an  ever-active  enemy 
which  despisetl  his  strength.  Fevers  had  greatly  reduced  the 
numbers  and  the  bodily  vigor  of  the  Makololo  proper.  Sebit- 
uane  had  maintained  the  vigor  and  ever-increasing  prosperity  of 
his  nations  by  his  wisdom  in  thoroughly  identifying  all  the 
conquered  tribes  with  his  own.  The  Makalaka  were  in  fact 
only  serfs  of  the  Makololo,  but  they  were  called  Makololo,  and 
spoken  of,  like  his  own  people,  as  the  children  of  Sebituane. 
The  kindness  of  their  conquerors  had  bound  them  in  stronger 
cords  than  their  authority  could  possibly  have  woven.  The 
Makalaka  were  proud  to  be  called  Makololo. 

The  welcome  at  Linyanti  was  in  all  courtly  dignity.  The  herald 
came  bounding  and  capering,  in  most  eccentric  and  indescriba- 
ble antics-cutting,  vociferati  ng  the  feelings  of  the  people.  "  Don't 
I  see  the  white  man  ?  "  ''  Don't  I  see  the  comrade  of  Sebit- 
uane?" "Don't  I  see  the  father  of  Sekeletu?"  "  We  want 
sleep !  "  "  Give  your  son  sleep,  my  lord  !  "  Sleep  !  quiet ! 
The  people  of  Sebituane  were  tired  of  war.  How  longingly 
those  who  have  been  combating  adversities  through  dragging 
years  think  of  tranquil  hours  !  War  had  been  threatening 
recently ;  the  people  of  the  lake  country,  being  in  possession  of 
guns,  had  grown  very  insulting  and  menacing.  The  Makololo 
had  heard  that  "  the  white  people  possessed  a  pot  which  would 
burn  up  any  attacking  party."  They  had  heard  of  cannon. 
Now  they  trusted  they  might  obtain  that  wonderful  "po/."  It 
may  seem  singular  that  a  people  should  desire  cannon  that  they 
might  have  peace;  but  it  is  the  improvement  in  the  implements 
of  war  which  promotes  the  interests  of  peace  more,  perhaps, 
than  anything  except  the  gospel.  The  consciousness  of  strength 
increases  our  magnanimity.  The  exhibition  of  strength  secures 
us  respect.  Respect  on  one  side  and  magnanimity  on  the  other 
leave  no  place  for  strife. 

Sekeletu  had  on  his  chieftainly  behavior.  The  great  cups  of 
the  national  beer  were  brought  with  lavish  hospitality.  From 
the  time  of  his  arrival  the  Makololo  ladies  were  most  assiduous 
in  their  attentions ;  their  presents  of  milk  and  food  burdened 


104  ma-mochisane's  difficulty. 

the  gratitude  of  the  strangers.  Indeed,  in  all  wild  countries, 
the  simple,  childlike,  the  grand.  Godlike  grace  of  hospitality- 
abounds.  The  poor  Indian  will  tell  you  how  his  ancestors 
kept  a  home  in  every  village  for  the  stranger ;  how  the  visitor, 
whoever  he  was,  was  conducted  thither  in  joy  and  pride ;  how 
the  best  skins  were  spread  and  the  choicest  food  provided  with- 
out price  or  expected  thanks — the  service  of  duty  only.  In 
Africa  the  people  never  think  of  putting  a  price  on  their  atten- 
tions to  the  stranger  until  civilization  teaches  them  cupidity. 
It  is  the  letter  of  God's  great  law  of  kindness  written  on  their 
wild  hearts  which  we  read  in  their  ready  reception  of  the 
stranger.  It  is  the  writing  out  of  God's  law  by  the  decalogue 
of  the  devil  which  we  read  in  the  selfishness  and  suspicion 
which  makes  a  large  part  of  civilization  a  desert  drearier,  for 
the  wandering  and  the  wanting,  than  the  sands  of  Sahara. 
These  ladylike  matrons,  with  their  short-cut  hair  and  coats  of 
shining  butter,  only  partly  hidden  by  the  soft  mantle  of  ox 
hide  thrown  over  the  bare  shoulders,  and  the  ox-hide  kilt  from 
waist  to  knees,  their  arras  and  ankles  adorned  with  massive 
rings  of  brass  and  iron,  and  strings  of  beads  of  various  hues 
twined  about  their  necks,  were  only  glad  to  wear  the  grace  of 
free  attentions  with  that  grace  of  person  in  which  they  pride 
themsel  ves. 

You  will  remember  that  Ma-mochisane  had  been  left  the 
chieftainship  of  the  Makololo.  But  Ma-raochisane  was  a  woman. 
The  Makololo  women  all  are  passionately  fond  of  children. 
The  lady  chieftain  tried  to  follow  the  example  of  the  chiefs,  and 
selected  a  number  of  men  whom  she  called  her  wives.  But  it 
wouldn't  work.  The  women  l)ecarae  aroused  against  her;  their 
tongues  could  not  be  controlled  ;  their  bitter  speeches  and  cruel 
insinuations  were  more  than  Ma-mochisane  could  endure.  She 
fi-etted,  she  cried,  she  got  mad,  she  quit  and  vowed  she  would 
not  be  cliief.  She  would  "  have  a  husband  and  children  and  a 
home  like  other  women."  "Sekcletu  must  be  chief,"  So 
Sekeletu  stoo<l  in  the  shoes  of  his  father.  This  young  man  in- 
herited his  father's  dignity  and  authority,  some  of  his  wisdom 
and  kindness,  and  all  of  his  wives.  Of  these  latter  he  distributed 
all  but  two  among  the  under  chiefs,  and  selected  some  new  ones 
for  himself.     He  was  quite  anxious  to  give  the  missionary  any- 


LIVINGSTONE   REFUSES   TO  TRADE.  105 

thing  he  possessed,  but  he  refused  positively  to  read  the  Book 
which  taught  that  men  should  have  only  one  wife.  He  must 
have  ''at  hast  five  wives'  He  was  honest  certainly.  Any- 
thing is  better  than  pretending  to  accept  what  is  said,  when  the 
secret  thought  and  determination  are  entirely  the  other  way. 

As  early  as  possible  Livingstone  assembled  the  people  for 
worship.  The  Makololo  observed  greater  decorum  than  some 
of  the  more  southern  tribes  had  on  the  first  presentation  of  the 
gospel,  though  there  were  many  disturbances  inseparable  from 
absolute  ignorance  of  such  a  thing  as  public  worship. 

Among  these  people,  as  elsewhere,  Livingstone  had  ample 
opportunity  to  take  advantage  of  the  kindness  and  ignorance  of 
the  natives  and  of  his  being  the  pioneer  of  discovery,  to  engage 
to  great  advantage  in  trade ;  but  he  was  too  deeply  interested  in 
the  spiritual  condition  of  the  people,  too  thoroughly  consecrated 
to  the  service  of  God.  He  resisted  all  temptations  in  that 
direction,  and  though  conducting  his  great  work  on  £100  a 
year,  out  of  which  the  single  item  of  presents  for  the  people 
through  whose  territory  he  must  pass  was  considerable,  he 
pressed  on  without  murmuring.  It  was  his  study  that  he 
might  impress  on  the  minds  of  the  poor  people  that  he  sought 
only  their  elevation  and  salvation. 

At  first  he  found  some  difficulty  in  finding  persons  who 
would  learn  to  read,  for  the  reasons  which  we  have  given.  At 
length,  however,  several  prominent  men,  even  the  hesitating 
Sekeletu,  began  the  work.  Thus  teaching,  preaching,  and 
searching  with  all  the  industry  to  be  expected  of  one  fully  set- 
tled and  "  fixed,"  this  wonderful  man,  a  wayfarer  only,  had 
tlirown  himself  immediately  into  his  work.  The  world  was  the 
field  he  was  sowing  beside  all  waters.  There  was  great  need  of 
the  noblest  elements  of  character  to  prosecute  the  work  of  Christ 
in  such  a  community.  It  was  the  heart  of  spiritual  ignorance ; 
it  was  the  very  core  of  chaos. 

Yet  there  were  ideas  of  justice,  and  there  was  industry  and 
manliness  and  quite  familiar  ideas  of  beauty.  The  women,  for 
instance,  admiring  themselves  in  Livingstone's  mirror,  Avere 
entertained  quite  as  really  as  any  city  belle  you  ever  saw,  and 
they  were  greatly  more  honest  in  their  impressions.  They  had 
never  seen  themselves  before.      Very  much  of  the  self-corn- 


106  IDEAS   OF   JUSTICE   AND   BEAUTY. 

placency  of  the  world  is  the  child  of  self-ignorance  and  blind- 
ness. These  women  would  say  :  "  Is  that  me  ?  "  "  What  a 
big  mouth  I  have  !  "  "  My  ears  are  as  big  as  pumpkin  leaves." 
"I  have  no  chin  at  all."  "I  would  have  been  pretty,  but  am 
spoiled  by  these  high  cheek-bones."  "See  how  my  head  shoots 
up  in  the  middle."  Their  merry  laughter  with  these  jokes 
afforded  the  over-worked  and  anxious-hearted  missionary  much 
amusement. 

The  men  rejoice  in  their  javelins  and  the  strong  ox-hide 
shields.  They  are  dexterous  in  the  use  of  the  one,  and  throw 
the  other  with  singular  force  and  exactness  of  aim.  Their 
trained  courage  causes  them  to  despise  pain  and  weariness. 

There  are  regular  courts,  where,  in  the  settlement  of  the 
graver  difficulties,  the  proper  deliberation  and  care  are  employed 
to  bring  out  the  truth  and  render  justice.  In  these  courts  the 
accused  and  the  accuser  are  brought  face  to  face,  each  supported 
by  his  witnesses ;  all  parties  tell  their  stories,  and  the  chief  men 
render  the  decision,  which  none  desire  to  question.  All  respect 
the  decisions  of  the  court. 

After  spending  a  month  in  the  hospitable  toM'n  of  Sekeletu, 
Dr.  Livingstone  was  attended  by  that  young  chieftain  in  a  tour 
northward  as  far  as  Nalielc,  the  capital  of  the  Barotse  country. 
Their  path  lay  along  the  upper  bank  of  the  Chobc.  That  noble 
river  with  its  fortress  of  reeds  was  on  their  right  hand.  Every 
now  and  then  one  of  those  singular  miniature  mountains  reared 
by  the  interminable  industry  of  the  tiny  ant  was  passed,  its 
broad,  gentle,  fertile  slopes  inviting  the  diligence  of  the  natives 
to  the  culture  of  their  choicest  plants.  The  rich  tenacious  loam 
on  the  flats  between  these  ant-hills  suggested  the  hope  of  cotton- 
fields,  and  everywhere  the  hanging  fruit  banished  the  fear  of 
want.  The  hundred  and  sixty  attendants  in  a  long  line  wind- 
ing through  these  scenes  completed  a  view  as  picturesque  as 
could  be.  The  waving  feathers,  the  dangling  ox-tails,  the  flashy 
prints,  the  red  tunics,  the  spears  and  shields,  and  clubs  and 
battle-axes,  the  laughter,  the  shouts,  the  antelopes  bounding 
across  the  way  and  splashing  through  the  ponds,  all  the  forest 
inhabitants  in  turn  coming  forward  to  view  the  trespass — it 
was  a  unique  picture  and  full  of  interest. 

An  African  chief  had  taken  up  the  generous  man  who  had 


VILLAGE   RECEPTIONS.  107 

struggled  to  the  licart  of  the  continent  with  his  messages  of 
fraternity  from  men  and  grace  from  God,  and  was  bearing  him 
triumphantly  through  all  his  borders.  Authority  went  before 
them  and  opened  the  storehouses  of  tribes  and  the  hearts  of 
people.  Servants  cleared  the  path.  The  beasts  behaved  like 
subjects.  At  every  village  the  loud  lulleloo  of  the  women  pro- 
claimed their  cordiality  and  their  respect  for  the  chief.  The 
young  chief  received  their  cries  of  "Great  lion/'  "Great  chief," 
"Sleep,  my  lord,"  as  composedly  as  he  invites  his  companion 
to  the  calabash  of  beer  which  prompt  Makololo  have  provided. 

The  Makololo  presented  the  party  great  bowls  of  milk,  out 
of  which  they  drank,  dipping  by  means  of  that  primitive  pro- 
vision commonly  known  as  the  hollow  of  the  hand.  Nature's 
spoon.  An  ox  was  commonly  killed,  and,  quickly  divided 
amongst  the  company,  was  soon  scorching  in  the  flames,  and 
while  dripping  and  cracking  with  the  heat  was  crammed 
voraciously  into  the  capacious  jaws  of  the  men,  each  racing  to 
be  filled,  in  mortal  terror  of  the  law  which  forbids  that  one  con- 
tinue at  his  food  when  the  others  have  finished.  Sekeletu 
became  quite  fond  of  Dr.  Livingstone's  coifee  and  biscuit.  He 
would  declare  with  unusual  warmth  that  he  "  knew  the  heart 
of  the  missionary  loved  him  by  finding  his  own  heart  warm 
toward  the  missionary's  food."  A  process  of  reasoning,  by  the 
way,  which  may  hardly  be  trusted  in  the  reach  of  the  covetous 
people  of  lighter  hue.  The  villages  of  the  Makololo,  besides 
the  gift  of  food  and  shouts  of  welcome,  have  a  singular  arrange- 
ment, which  makes  their  entertainment  something  like  a  trifling 
custom  in  other  places.  The  houses  are  only  circles  of  posts 
placed  in  the  ground  and  vines  and  mortar  filling  the  inter- 
stices. The  roofs  are  entirely  detached  and  independent  of  the 
walls.  They  look  just  like  a  Chinese  hat,  and  are  lifted  on  and 
off  at  the  pleasure  of  the  occupant.  The  guest's  chamber  is 
generally  provided  by  lifting  the  roof  of  the  hut  off,  and  setting 
it  on  the  ground.  The  guest  sleeps  under  the  roof.  The  house 
takes  off  its  hat  to  you  as  you  approach  it. 

The  party  struck  the  Leeambye  at  the  town  of  Katonga. 
Sekhase  sent  canoes  across  to  bring  them  over  to  him.  The 
region  around  Katonga  or  Sekhase  differs  little  from  the  valley 
of  the   Chobe,  except   that   it   is  higher  and  freer  from  the 


108  THE    LEEAMBYE. 

malarial  vapors.  The  sandier  soil  beyond  the  marks  of  over- 
flow reflects  painfully  the  sunrays,  driving  the  poor  scorched 
hunter  to  despise  the  sport  or  deny  the  want  which  prompted 
him  forth  upon  the  field. 

All  sorts  of  herds,  from  a  tiny,  fairy-looking  antelope  eigh- 
teen inches  high,  to  the  majestic  buffalo,  feed  leisurely  and 
peacefully  over  these  plains.  Among  them  there  was  a  species 
of  eland  famous  for  its  beauty.  In  the  engraving  there  is  a 
representation  of  this  splendid  curiosity,  out  of  whose  midst  Dr. 
Livingstone  carried  one  back  to  his  men — better  game  in  their 
eyes  by  far  than  the  finest  ox. 

The  Leeambye  is  a  splendid  stream  six  hundred  yards  wide 
where  the  party  approached  it,  and  widening  sometimes  to  fully 
a  mile  in  breadth.  The  banks  on  either  side  were  clothed  with 
splendid  forests.  The  winter  wind  had  shaken  off  the  floral 
crown  of  summer,  where  the  rays  of  the  setting  sun  loved  to 
linger  latest,  as  if  they  loved  it  best,  and  over  the  wide  boughs 
a  gauzy  mantle  of  changeable  brown  was  thrown,  through 
which  every  now  and  then  the  travellers  had  a  glimpse  of  the 
fresh  green  date  palm.  Sometimes  the  forests  would  open  a 
nestling  place  for  a  little  village;  then  their  dominion  would 
be  resumed  along  the  baulis  of  the  river  of  which  they  are  the 
children  and  the  glory. 

The  party  were  gliding  along  In  the  narrow  canoes  which 
hardly  disturbed  the  glassy  surface  of  the  stream  in  its  deep, 
quiet  places,  and  which  bounded  from  wave  to  wave  in  the 
rougher  places,  where  underlying  rocks  resiste<l  it,  lightly  as 
winged  things.  The  Makalaka  were  in  their  element.  Stand- 
ing erectly  in  the  narrow  boats,  they  plied  their  long,  lithe 
oars  with  matchless  dexterity,  and  raced  along  with  the  reckless 
delight  of  conscious  masters.  The  Makololo  are  their  masters 
on  the  land,  but  tliey  tremble  over  the  edges  of  the  shooting 
bark  as  if  their  shadows  in  the  water  j)ointed  to  a  sepulchre. 
The  largest  animals  of  Africa  abound  along  the  banks  of  the 
Jjccambye.  The  people  who  dwell  in  its  villages  are  expert 
and  courageous  hunters,  and  they  select  the  hippopotamus  as 
their  game. 

The  Manyeti,  whose  country  borders  along  the  river,  are  a 
peaceable  people.     They  have  no  cattle,  therefore  no  contro- 


^     ^    uli!:iiilliitfiliy.liillil!!!liillJiiilLllili^^ 


NO   MONUMENTS   IN   AFRICA.  HI 

versy  with  their  neighbors.  Nearly  all  the  quarrelling  in  the 
country  is  about  cattle.  The  tsetse  partly,  and  partly  their 
desire  to  live  peaceable,  incline  these  people  to  their  chosen 
handicraft  in  preference  to  having  herds.  Dr.  Livingstone 
never  knew  war  in  this  whole  region  except  on  a  cattle  ques- 
tion, but  in  a  single  instance;  then  the  trouble  was  like  that  of 
which  old  Homer  sings — a  woman.  But  women  are  considered 
among  the  necessaries  of  life,  so  the  Manyeti  hazard  war  rather 
than  banish  all  the  women. 

From  Katima-molelo  northward  there  is  a  succession  of 
rapids,  falls  and  cataracts  which  make  the  jorogress  difficult  and 
dangerous.  The  jiarty  were  obliged  to  carry  their  canoes  around 
some  of  these  places;  sometimes  more  than  a  mile  would  thus 
be  traversed,  bearing  their  boats  on  their  shoulders.  At  Gonye 
the  main  body  of  the  Nvater  is  collected  within  about  seventy 
yards,  and  leaps  about  thirty  feet;  the  entire  mass  falling  against 
a  huge  projecting  rock,  causes  a  sound  which  is  heard  far  away. 
There  are  various  traditions  of  sudden  death  to  hapless  travel- 
lers floating  about  this  spot.  But  whatever  has  been,  there  are 
no  memorials  more  substantial  than  the  imperfect  traditions. 
There  is  nothing  in  all  these  wilds  to  commemorate  the  past ; 
the  dead  are  rarely  spoken  of;  there  are  no  monuments  in  all 
Africa;  "the  very  rocks  are  illiterate; "  hidden  in  them  are  no 
curious  shapes  and  characters,  nothing  to  interest  or  tempt  the 
attentions  of  science  as  iu  other  rocks. 

About  the  16°  S.  latitude  the  party  entered  the  true  Barotse 
valley.  The  forests  fall  back  gradually  from  the  banks  of  the 
river,  until  they  are  only  seen  across  the  fringe  of  reeds  and  a 
flat,  fertile  tract  some  twenty  miles  apart.  Like  the  valley  of 
the  Nile,  this  valley  is  subject  to  an  annual  overflow  from  the 
river,  which  winds  along  its  centre.  The  villages  of  the 
Barotse,  built  on  artificial  mounds,  dot  the  whole  expanse,  and 
sit  tlicre  like  teeming  islands  while  the  waters  of  the  overflow 
spread  around  them.  The  people  love  their  homes  beside  the 
splendid  stream — a  home  v.diere  "  hunger  never  comes."  But 
comfortnble  though  these  poor  people  think  they  are,  like  all  of 
this  wild  country  this  noble  valley  is  waiting  for  the  hand  of 
intelligence  to  find  its  real  treasures.  In  one  of  these  Barotse 
towns  Livingstone  witnessed  a  specimen  of  Makololo  authority 


112  WAR    AVERTED    BY    LIVINGSTONE. 

which  was  painful  indeed.  It  was  the  town  where  the  father 
of  a  man  lived  who  had  conspired  to  deprive  Sekeletu  of  the 
chieftainship  after  the  death  of  Sebituane.  This  man  and  an- 
other who  had  counselled  the  conspiracy  were  taken  on  the 
arrival  of  Sekeletu  and  tossed  into  the  river.  The  remon- 
strances of  the  doctor  were  of  no  avail.  Sekeletu  only  calmly 
answered  him  :  "  You  see  we  are  still  Boers ;  we  are  not  taught." 

But  Livingstone  was  more  successful  in  averting  a  war  upon 
the  Mambari,  to  wdiose  fortified  town  they  came.  The  feeling 
of  the  Makololo  was  very  bitter  against  them.  They  had  been 
intimately  associated  with  the  conspirator  against  Sekeletu,  and 
liad  received  of  him  the  privilege  of  marauding  on  their  neigh- 
bors. Their  city  was  full  of  tliese  poor  slave-gangs.  The  plan 
of  the  chief  was  to  starve  the  fortress  out.  Ijivingstone,  show- 
ing them  that  the  first  and  greatest  sufferers  in  that  case  would 
be  the  helpless  slaves,  finally  led  them  away  and  averted  a  cruel 
revenge.  It  was  a  part  of  the  constant  aim  and  effort  of  Liv- 
ingstone to  bring  the  natives  of  the  country  through  which  he 
passed  to  love  peace  and  embrace  a  creed  of  kindness.  And  it 
was  a  blessed  service.  The  horrors  of  war  may  not  be  appreci- 
ated by  the  poor  savage,  but  they  are  real  and  awful  still.  To 
inculcate  a  spirit  of  peace  in  men  is  their  highest  service;  it  is 
Christlike. 

Careful  inquiry  at  Naliele  convinced  Dr.  Livingstone  that 
there  had  never  been  a  white  man  in  that  region  before  he  and 
Mr.  Oswell  were  at  Sebituane's,  in  1851.  Though  he  met  some 
half-cast  Portuguese  at  this  time,  they  had  come  into  the  coun- 
try two  years  after  the  visit  of  himself  and  Oswell  in  1851.  It 
is  probable  that  no  white  man  had  ever  been  so  far  into  the 
heart  of  the  African  continent  before.  His  eyes  were  looking 
upon  these  strange,  wonderful  things  for  the  world,  and  it  was 
the  world's  first  glimpse  of  them. 

The  kindness  of  Sekeletu  provided  attendants,  and  the  mis- 
sionary continued  his  journey  some  distance  beyond  Naliele 
without  the  chief.  The  herald  of  Sekeletu,  though,  made  the 
entrance  to  every  village  an  affair  of  princely  dignity  by  run- 
ning in  advance  of  the  party,  vociferating,  "Here  comes  the 
lord."  "  Here  comes  the  great  lion."  The  attentions  were  in 
keeping  with    the   introduction;    the  party  fared   on    the   fat 


THE   WILDEST   OF  ALL.  11. "> 

of  the  land,  and  enjoyed  all  the  respect  to  be  dcsire<l.  The 
public  meetings  were  attended  readily,  the  people  heard  with 
quietness,  and  the  best  decorum  was  observed  in  all  the  services. 

Beyond  the  14°  S.  latitude  the  forests  converged  mitil  they 
cast  their  shadoM'S  upon  the  river  again,  and  the  party  passed 
along  between  the  stately  trees  and  clinging  vinos  as  far  as  the 
confluence  of  the  Leeba.  But  nowhere  could  be  found  a  spot 
exempt  from  the  poisonous  atmosphere  so  antagonistic  to  health. 
The  destiny  of  Livingstone  was  more  than  quiet  teaching; 
Providence  had  in  hand  to  open  Africa  by  this  man.  He  was 
allowed  to  find  no  home. 

The  regions  through  which  he  had  passed  were  fertile  to 
rankness.  The  inhabitants  were  the  most  thoroughly  ignorant 
and  wild  of  any  people  he  had  seen.  The  forests  and  plains 
were  filled  with  every  variety  of  animal  and  beast.  At  Libonta 
he  counted  eighty-one  buffaloes  pass  slowly  before  his  fire. 
The  roar  of  the  lion  was  continuous  and  loud.  Everything, 
animate  and  inanimate,  was  wild  and  monstrous. 

On  returning  to  Naliele  Livingstone  rejoined  Sekeletu,  enjoy- 
ing the  adulations  of  his  subjects,  who  did  all  they  could  to 
charm  the  young  chief  in  his  first  visit  to  their  borders.  The 
dance  which  constituted  tJieir  principal  entertainment  was  in- 
deed a  strange  and  grotesque  performance,  admirably  appro- 
priate to  a  mad-house.  The  nearly  naked  men,  standing  in  a 
circle,  brandish  their  clubs  and  battle-axes,  while  they  stamp 
first  the  right  then  the  left  foot,  all  moving  together  in  this 
artistic  performance ;  while  tiicir  wild,  indescribable  contortions 
of  countenance  and  body  conspired,  with  the  interminable  and 
demoniacal  laughter,  to  drive  one  almost  crazy  with  per])lexity 
and  confusion.  They  consider  it  "  very  nice,"  and  Sekeletu 
"gives  them  an  ox  for  dancing  for  him  ;  "  so  light-heartedness 
and  hunger  are  oddly  joined  in  the  spirit  of  the  scene.  The 
women  have  only  a  very  unimportant  part  in  the  performance. 
Surrounding  the  circle,  they  clap  their  hands  continually,  only 
now  and  then  venturing  to  slip  into  the  midst  of  the  men,  cut 
a  few  capers,  and  retire  to  the  observant  and  applauding  place. 

The  heart  of  the  missionary  had  endured  a  great  trial  during 
the  nine  weeks  of  this  journey.  How  helplessly  he  looked  up 
to  the  great  Master  out  of  the  midst  of  these  poor  degraded 
6 


116      PREPARATION  FOR  JOURNEY  TO  LOANDA. 

masses !  Their  dancing,  roaring,  singing,  jesting,  grumbling, 
figliting  and  murdering  were  the  wild  expressions  of  their  de- 
gradation, and  they  rang  in  his  ears  continually  like  the  cry  of 
the  lost,  like  an  unconscious  prayer  for  help.  He  suffered 
keenly,  but  more  than  ever  was  resolved  to  open  Africa  to  the 
full  light  of  the  truth  which  sets  men  free  from  superstitions 
and  all  clinging  corruptions. 

In  September  the  explorer  and  Christian  teacher  was  in  Lin- 
yanti  again,  arranging  for  a  journey  to  Loanda  on  the  western 
coast.  His  eagerness  to  accomplish  this  journey  found  an  ally 
in  the  anxiety  of  the  Makololo  to  open  a  direct  trade  with 
white  men.  They  felt  restive  under  the  old  system  of  swindling 
to  which  they  had  been  so  long  subjected  by  the  Mambari,  who 
had  monopolized  the  trading  between  the  interior  and  the  ooast. 
Livingstone  coincided  too  in  this  desire  for  the  establishment  of 
direct  trade  with  the  interior;  for  not  only  did  the  natives 
themselves  suffer  for  the  lack  of  it,  but  he  was  convinced  that  it 
would  also  work  greatly  against  any  missionary  who  might  be 
dependent  on  intercourse  with  these  extortioning  traders  for 
supplies. 

Frequent  fevers  had  worn  perceptibly  on  the  vigorous  con- 
stitution of  Dr.  Livingstone.  A  man  more  easily  discouraged 
could  have  found  a  well-grounded  excuse  for  claiming  exemp- 
tion from  duties  demanding  such  exposure  and  exertion.  There 
was  no  wavering  in  the  heart  of  this  man.  He  felt  that  he 
must  face  death  very  deliberately.  It  was  painfully  impressed 
on  him  that  a  lonely  dissolution  in  wild  forests,  with  only 
heathen  attendants,  was  quite  probable  ;  but  he  reasoned,  "  If 
we  serve  God  at  all  it  must  be  done  in  a  manly  way."  He 
banished  all  fears  and  braced  himself  to  "  succeed  or  perish." 
Nothing  is  more  touching  than  the  picture  of  this  great  man, 
after  reflecting  seriously  on  the  dangers  of  the  undertaking  be- 
fore him,  sitting  down  in  the  rude  hut  of  a  savage  and  com- 
mending his  little  daughter  to  a  brother  far  away  and  to  God. 

The  Boers  had  relieved  him  of  anxiety  about  worldly  posses- 
sions by  relieving  him  of  their  possession.  There  was  very 
little  to  dispose  of  now.  The  friendly  Makololo  readily  assumed 
the  care  of  his  little  store,  and  left  him  free  to  equip  himself  for 
the  long  journey.     The  curious  reader  will  be  pleased  to  know 


OUTFIT   FOR   JOURNEY.  117 

what  sort  of  outfit  an  explorer  of  such  wilds  finds  important. 
There  are  all  sorts  of  things  represented  to  be  indispensable, 
but  Livingstone  was  too  inure<l  to  privations  and  hardships  to 
trouble  himself  much  about  softening  the  bed  which  he  was 
called  to  lie  on.  In  his  own  language,  he  was  satisfied  "  that  if 
he  did  not  succeed  it  would  not  be  for  want  of  'knick-knacks,' 
but  from  want  of  pluck."  The  rifle  and  double-barrelled  gun  for 
himself,  and  the  three  muskets  for  his  people,  were  depended  on 
to  provide  the  necessary  food,  and  had  only  the  supplement  of 
about  forty  shillings  worth  of  beads,  carried  for  barter.  A  few 
small  packages  of  the  more  important  articles  of  food  for  civil- 
ized life,  such  as  coffee  and  tea,  a  limited  quantity  of  clothing, 
lefl  room  for  the  more  important  things  essential  to  obtaining  an 
accurate  knowledge  of  the  country.  A  sextant,  a  chronometer 
watch,  a  compass,  a  thermometer,  and  a  small  telescoi)e  were  his 
stock  of  instruments.  The  only  books  he  carried  were  a  "  Nau- 
tical Almanac,"  "  Thomson's  Logarithm  Tables,"  and  a  Bible. 
A  small  tent  for  his  house,  with  a  sheepskin  mantle  and  house- 
rug  for  furniture,  and  lastly  his  magic  lantern.  His  attendants 
were  twenty-seven  men,  belonging  to  the  different  tribes  ac- 
knowledging the  Makololo  authority. 

Thus  attended  and  equipped,  the  traveller  left  the  town  of 
Linyanti  on  the  11th  of  November,  1853,  to  embark  on  the 
Chobe.  The  purpose  of  good  was  the  strength  of  his  heart;  the 
results  were  with  God.  Approaching  the  river  from  Linyanti 
the  party  traversed  a  portion  of  tlie  country  where  Livingstone 
arid  Oswell  had  been  three  years  before.  They  passed  through 
the  wild  where  Mr.  Oswell  had  nearly  lost  his  life  on  that 
occasion.  This  gentleman  had  followed  an  elephant  into  the 
dense  thorny  growth  which  borders  the  river,  when  suddenly 
he  discovered  the  monster  had  turned  about,  and  was  rushing 
madly  upon  him.  Vainly  the  hunter  tried  to  force  his  trem- 
bling horse  through  the  thicket;  there  was  only  a  moment,  when 
he  was  dashed  to  the  ground  by  the  frightened  creature  as  it 
bounded  aside.  It  seemed  impossible  that  he  should  not  be 
instantly  crushed  beneath  the  feet  of  the  tremendous  assailant, 
who  passed  over  him  in  the  instant.  The  escape  was  marvellous. 
It  is  only  a  glimpse  of  the  perils  of  the  place,  perils  which 
must  be  hazarded  evervwhere  in  this  straufro  wild  land. 


118  THE  CHOBE. 

The  river  on  which  the  slender  canoes  were  launched  was  a 
poor  exchange  for  the  lair  of  the  lion  and  the  tramp  of  the 
elephant.  It  entertained  an  enemy  as  dreadful  as  either.  The 
hippopotamus  is  not  generally  a  bold  assailant  of  man,  but 
where  there  are  as  many  as  infest  this  stream  it  is  hardly  possi- 
ble to  avoid  contact  with  him.  The  tiny  boats  may  at  any 
moment  glide  into  the  midst  of  a  sleeping  herd,  and  be  suddenly 
(lashed  to  pieces.  Besides  there  are  always  certain  individuals 
of  the  species  lurking  about  in  lonely  Ishmaelitish  anger  Mdiich 
spares  no  living  thing.  The  hippopotamus,  though  confined  to 
the  African  continent,  is  found  in  all  parts  of  it,  and  is  generally 
of  tremendous  size,  though  its  short  legs,  hardly  lifting  its  belly 
from  the  ground,  cuts  off  its  height ;  its  body  is  large  as  that  of 
the  elephant.  Its  huge  mouth  of>ens  like  a  cave,  and  is  fur- 
nished with  massive,  frightful  teeth,  formidable  enemies  to  the 
growing  grain  and  luckless  boatman.  It  is  strictly  gregarious 
in  its  habits,  and  dozing  lazily  through  the  day  quits  its  river 
haunts  at  night  in  search  of  food.  Sometimes  it  exhibits  a 
peculiarly  happy  mood,  sporting  like  a  mammoth  kitten  in  the 
yielding  element.  At  other  times  the  evil  spirit  rises  and  it 
bites  and  kicks  sullenly  as  a  demon.  Once  an  angry  member 
of  the  race  pursued  the  attendants  of  Livingstone  far  away 
from  the  river,  and  often  he  witnessed  the  cruel  gashes  of  its 
tusks  in  the  legs  of  natives  who  had  barely  escaped  a  horrid 
death.  Its  thick  hide  is  a  formidable  shield,  even  against  the 
sharp,  heavy  lances  of  the  country.  But  its  flesh  is  healthful 
and  very  highly  esteemed  for  food. 

The  Chobe,  from  Linyanti  to  its  confluence  with  the  Leeam- 
bye,  is  exceedingly  tortuous,  and  though  deep  and  wide  oSers  i 
but  small  temptation  to  navigation.  Many  villages  are  passed 
on  its  banks.  All  of  them  were  ready  with  the  supplies  which 
had  been  ordered  by  Sekeletu  to  be  in  waiting  for  Dr.  Living- 
stone. The  banks  are  high  and  crowned  with  many  lofty 
trees,  whose  branches  tempt  the  traveller  with  their  pendant 
offerings  of  various  fruits. 

At  the  confluence  of  the  rivers  the  party  spent  a  night  on  the 
island  Mparia,  and,  turning  up  the  Lceambye,  landed  at  Sesheke 
on  the  19th  of  November. 


CHAPTER  V. 

TO   BALONDA. 

Seskeke — Sekeletu's  Policy— Missionary  Work — "Wanting  in  Religious  Ideas — 
Duties  of  Missionary — The  Leeainbye — Hippopotami — Mr.  Cuinming's  Adven- 
ture— Livingstone's  Idea  of  Lions — Anderson — Lion  Confuted — Fevers  Pro- 
tracted— Unwelcome  News — Livingstone's  Wise  Plan — Libonta — Death  by  a 
Lion — The  Camp — Cook  and  Laundry  Work — Humanity  of  Livingstone — 
Beyond  Libonta — Courage — First  Act  in  Balonda — The  Leeba — Want  of  Game 
— Buffalo  Hunt — Buffalo  and  three  Lions — Mambari  Merchants — Manenko — 
Town  of  Shinte— Fashions  of  Ankle  Ringg — A  Black  Scold — Manenko's  Dress 
— Fever,  Bain,  Hunger — Dark  Forests — Delays — Invitation  at  last — Mediciae 
Charms— A  Soldier — Balonda  Fashions — Full  Undress  of  Balonda  Lady — 
Balonda  Gentlemen — Head-drees— Salutations— Manenko's  Kindness. 

Seshekb  by  the  Leeambye — "the  white  sand-banks"  by 
"  the  large  river  " — was  the  city  of  a  brother-in-law  of  Sebituane, 
named  Moriautsane.  Its  large  population  was  representative 
of  the  Makololo  dominion.  All  the  conquered  tribes  were 
represented  there.  Each  of  them  had  its  own  head-man, 
though,  of  course,  they  all  recognized  the  higher  authority  of 
Sekeletu.  There  were  little  things,  however,  constantly  occur- 
ring, as  there  were  all  through  his  country,  which  indicated  that 
the  young  chief  had  not  the  regard  of  the  people  which  they  had 
been  glad  to  cherish  for  his  father.  There  was  a  great  differ- 
ence. Sebituane  had  been  a  wise  man,  and  under  him  the 
various  tribes  had  been  held  gently  and  firmly.  He  was  fully 
informed  of  the  minutest  details  in  the  government  of  the  various 
tribes,  and  made  the  under  chiefs  love  and  fear  him  alike. 
Sekeletu  was  not  like  him ;  the  petty  chiefs  soon  found  out  his 
inattention  and  incapacity.  The  father,  with  old  Roman  policy, 
obliterated  all  distinctions,  and  made  his  subjugated  provinces  a 
part  of  his  country  ;  his  subjects  became  his  children.  Sekeletu 
revived  the  Makololo  pride,  and  replaced  the  insignia  of  infer- 
iority on  the  tribes.  These  tribes  began  to  hate  him,  while 
they  were  fearing  him  less  and  less.  The  people  would  some- 
times defy  the  decisions  of  the  local  chiefs  with  impunity.     An 

119 


120  MISSIONARY   WOEK. 

instance  of  this  occurred  while  Dr.  Livingstone  was  in  Sesheke. 
There  had  been  a  theft  committed,  and  in  the  effort  to  find  out 
the  guilty  party  a  young  man  who  was  suspected  was  bound 
and  exposed  in  the  scorching  sun  until  he  should  make  restitu- 
tion or  pay  the  fine.  The  mother  of  this  young  man  seized  a 
hoe,  and,  going  to  her  son,  threatened  to  kill  anybody  who 
should  interfere ;  and  having  cut  the  cords  led  him  away  to  her 
home.  All  Moriantsane  could  do  was  to  send  word  to  Sekeletu. 
So  the  matter  ended.  The  reins  of  government  were  hanging 
loosely.  The  lawless  spirit  is  in  human  nature;  the  slightest 
toleration  of  it  is  the  tiny  crevice  in  authority  through  which 
an  inexhaustible  fountain  sends  its  smallest  stream ;  a  stream 
which  will  wear  and  widen  and  deepen  until  gigantic  rebellion 
breaks  up  the  foundations  of  government  and  bears  them,  help- 
lessly scattered,  on  its  mighty,  rageful  surface.  The  history  of 
the  wild  tribes  is  a  miniature  history  of  the  wide  world.  The 
law  of  cause  and  effect  is  al)solute  and  universal. 

The  diligent  Christian  finds  work  in  every  place.  Living- 
stone was  immediately  engaged  in  teaching  the  people  of  Se- 
sheke ;  and  such  was  the  respect  which  he  always  inspired,  such 
was  the  honor  in  which  he  was  held,  that  there  was  no  trouble 
in  gathering  several  hundreds  of  these  poor  heathen  to  hear  his 
message  from  the  great  Chief  of  all,  the  "King  of  king-s," 
Their  temple  was  by  the  river;  the  shade  an  "outspreading 
camel-thorn  tree."  How  sweetly  suggestive  was  every  bough 
of  this  noble  tree,  while  he  recalled  the  probability  that  one  like 
it  furnished  the  timber  of  which  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant  was 
made !  No  wonder  the  heart  of  the  missionary  was  overflowing 
with  confidence  in  God's  mercy  for  his  degraded  audience. 
How  could  he,  either,  find  it  in  his  own  heart  to  dwell  on  their 
sinfulness  ?  Indeed,  Livingstone  was  so  full  of  tenderness  and 
charity,  so  unwilling  to  see  or  reveal  the  blemishes  of  others, 
that  he  hardly  draws  the  curtain  sufficiently  on  the  moral  condi- 
tion of  Africa.  His  own  elevated  purity  turned  away  from  the 
stagnant  corruption  about  him  with  silent  pity.  He  only  says 
that  there  is  corruption,  that  there  is  deaUi,  and,  crying  to  the 
world  for  help,  works  on  with  the  energy  of  devotion,  almost 
of  despair,  healing  and  lifting  up  the  jKHjple. 

The  Makololo  were  singularly  wanting  in  religious  ideas, 


NO   RELIGIOUS   II^EAS,  121 

and  though  quite  respectful  and  curious  enough  to  be  attentive, 
they  would  put  their  questions  in  such  absurd  confusion  of  the 
ridiculous  and  solemn  that  the  missionary  needed  to  exercise 
constant  watchfulness  over  his  risible  faculties.  As  there  were 
no  altars  to  be  overthrown  by  Christianity,  there  were  no  pre- 
judices against  it,  except  such  as  hearts  naturally  depraved 
bring  forth,  or  such  as  seemed  supported  by  some  social  regula- 
tion or  individual  habit.  Therefore  there  was  a  ready  assent  to 
the  teachings  as  doctrines ;  an  assent,  however,  which  amounted 
to  very  little  so  far  as  the  actions  of  the  people  went.  But 
even  among  these  people  there  are  those  who  positively  resist 
the  truth.  Some  villagers  put  all  their  cocks  to  death  because 
they  crowed  the  words,  "  Tlang  lo  rapeleng,"  "  Come  along  to 
prayers."  The  nearest  approach  to  worship  to  be  found  in  this 
region  was  the  habit  of  paying  special  attention  to  the  new 
moon.  This  was  watched  for  with  all  eagerness,  and  its  first 
appearance  was  hailed  with  loud  acclamations  and  prayers. 
Even  the  attendants  of  Livingstone  were  accustomed  to  invoke 
the  favoi*  of  the  new  moon  on  them  and  their  master  during 
tlieir  journey. 

The  duties  of  a  faithful  Christian  teacher,  though  found  most 
largely  in  presenting  the  gospel  and  seeking  the  immediate  sal- 
vation of  souls,  have  yet  a  range  which  comprehends  all  the 
well-being  of  man.  It  is  not  a  reproach  if  a  minister  is  instru- 
mental in  reforming  society  or  government.  It  is  not  out  of 
place  for  him  to  strike  off  any  yoke  of  oppression  which  galls 
the  necks  of  the  people.  It  is  not  a  mean  service  which  intro- 
duces systems  and  regulations  that  bring  order  and  peace  to  the 
community.  Those  unobtrusive  efforts  of  Dr.  Livingstone, 
which  left  their  results  interwrought  with  the  heathen  codes, 
were  among  the  most  difficult  and  telling  of  his  works.  Those 
examples  and  conversations,  which  left  their  impressions,  in- 
definitely even,  on  African  society,  are  the  unrecorded  but 
imperishable  testimonies  to  his  sincerity  and  real  greatness. 

The  idea  of  compromise  in  times  of  dispute,  of  mercy  to  the 
offender;  thoughts  of  internal  improvement  and  commerce;  new 
methods  of  reward  and  punishment ;  all  the  variety  of  matters 
which  a  wise  and  intelligent  Christian  would  think  of  in  such 
a  community,  opened  a  field  which  this  truly  great  man  was 


122  LEEAMEYE   IN   SPEING. 

gladly  disposed  to  enter,  and  in  which  his  singular  influence 
will  linger  through  all  the  opening  history  of  that  continent. 

The  journey  up  the  river  from  Sesheke  was  along  the  same 
splendid  Leeambye  M'hich  we  mentioned  in  a  former  chapter. 
The  broad  surface,  the  rapids  and  wild  falls  were,  of  course,  tl>e 
same,  only  the  deep  brown  hues  of  winter  had  yielded  to  the 
gorgeous  summer.  The  thick  green  foliage  of  the  majestic 
trees  was  varied  and  enriched  by  a  wonderful  wealth  of  fruit, 
while  strange,  large  flowers  of  peculiar  beauty  were  everywhere 
like  jewels  in  the  verdure.  The  forests  were  full  of  birds.  The 
gentle  cooing  doves  had  their  nests  just  over  the  rushing,  roar- 
ing torrents.  The  Ibis,  just  like  those  which  held  old  Egyp- 
tian breasts  in  sacred  awe,  and  found  their  honored  graves  in 
stately  tombs,  was  sitting  in  its  wonted  isolation  oji  the  bare 
])oints  of  some  withered,  broken,  branchless  trunk.  The 
singular  little  "  hammering  iron  "  might  be  seen  sitting  on  the 
back  of  the  hideous  crocodile,  or  perched  inside  his  cavernous 
jaws,  quietly  picking  the  monster's  teeth.  The  tiny,  roguish 
parrot  was  flashing  about  in  the  sunrays  like  a  living  emerald 
with  wings  of  gold,  shocking  the  ear  with  a  voice  that  seemed 
to  be  deliberate  mockery  of  the  eye's  delight.  The  various 
species  of  Ashing  birds  and  nameless  songsters  of  rare  hues 
were  ahvays  present,  while  every  now  and  then  a  monster 
alligator  came  splashing  from  his  sunny  perch  into  the  stream, 
or  some  unfortunate  guana  on  a  projecting  bough  fell  a  victim 
to  the  ready  spear  of  a  native,  and  dropping  into  the  gliding 
boat  was  seized  as  choice  provision  for  an  evening  meal.  This 
animal  is  of  the  lizard  tribe,  and  grows  sometimes  to  the  length 
of  four  or  five  feet.  Its  strong  cout  resists  blows,  and  even  the 
force  of  fire-arms,  but  it  falls  helpless  if  a  stmw  is  put  in  its 
nastril. 

Vast  herds  of  hippopotami  were  passed,  and  it  was  amusing 
to  see  the  youthful  members  of  the  families  perched  on  the 
broad  shoulders  of  their  dams,  while  the  tremendous  puffing 
and  snorting  rumbled  around  like  miniature  thunder.  Mr. 
Gumming  once  came  on  the  lair  of  four  of  these  singular  crea- 
tures, a  hazy  morning  on  the  banks  of  the  Limpopo.  The 
noise  of  his  horse  breaking  tiirough  the  wall  of  reeds  alarmed 
them,  and  all  four  rushed  into  the  shallow  stream,  and  went 


te- 

i^\\ 

'W 

Ik; 

1 

ri^ 

''J 

/ 

'ill 

/; 

™S 

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w^^W'" 

I^R^ 

K^         '  1 

^Mw 

iiiproroTAMUS.  125 

ti'otting  toward  docp  water.  The  hunter,  with  quick  aim, 
WQunded  a  large  cow,  the  ball  striking  the  skull.  The  animal 
commencal  plunging  furiously  round  and  round  in  a  frenzy  of 
agony;  a  second  ball  only  increased  her  misery  and  fury. 
Anxious  to  bring  his  game  nearer  the  land,  Mr.  Gumming  then 
threw  oif  his  heavier  clothing  and  plunged  into  the  water,  and 
ai-rned  only  with  a  long  knife  rushed  upon  the  beast ;  seizing 
her  short  tail  he  vainly  tried  to  steer  her  landward.  The  tail 
was  a  poor  rudder ;  cutting  a  slit  in  the  strong  hide,  he  found  a 
securer  hold,  and  ultimately  brought  the  huge  behemoth  to  the 
shore,  when  it  required  the  full  strength  of  a  brace  of  splendid 
oxen  to  land  her.  She  measured,  by  his  account,  five  full  feet 
across  the  body.  Floating  along  this  stream  the  interminable 
roar  of  the  lion  forces  that  animal  on  our  thoughts  continually, 
and  not  unfi-equently  his  majestic  form,  passing  through  the 
neighboring  brush  and  matted  reeds,  excites  the  deepest  interest. 
It  is  barely  possible  that  the  great  explorer  whom  we  are  follow- 
ing through  these  wildernesses  was  hardly  the  man  to  rightly 
estimate  this,  or  any  of  the  ferocious  monstei-s  of  the  land. 
Livingstone  was  not  a  hunter ;  while  not  wanting  in  skill  or 
courage  to  meet  lions  or  elephants,  he  had  no  delight  in  the 
field.  His  mission  was  with  men ;  liis  lesson  must  be  one  of 
kindness;  he  must  inculcate  a  lofty  moral  courage;  necessarily 
almost,  his  habits  of  thought  and  life  taught  him  indifference  to 
all  that  was  purely  animal ;  he  could  not  appreciate  the  features 
in  these  wild  creatures  which  filled  other  men  with  awe  and 
wonder.  He,  for  instance,  only  thought  of  the  lion  as  the  great 
d®g  of  the  forest ;  he  could  discover  no  majesty  in  his  roar,  no 
special  dignity  in  his  bearing.  He  was  quick  to  perceive  what- 
ever was  gentle  and  loving  and  intelligent,  but  the  sterner, 
wilder,  cruel  features  did  not  impress  him  as  they  would  men 
generally ;  and  though  he  may  have  been  correct  in  his  estimate 
of  the  lion's  courage  measured  by  his  lofty  standard,  it  cer- 
tainly possesses  a  sort  of  courage  which  has  made  all  sportsmen 
tliink  of  lion-hunting  as,  perhaps,  the  mast  serious  of  all  the 
delights  of  wilderness  life.  It  requires  the  greatest  coolness 
and  skill,  when  once  a  lion  is  wounded  and  thoroughly  at  bay ; 
every  moment  is  precious.  Mr.  Anderson,  in  his  "Wilds  of 
Africa,"  narrates  an  incident  in  which  his  want  of  experience 


126  THE   LION   CONFUSED. 

was  hardly  atoned  for  by  liis  superior  courage  even.  The  beast 
which  he  pursued  had  taken  refuge,  as  usual,  in  a  densely  thick 
jungle,  where  only  his  horrible  growling  indicated  his  locality. 
The  very  few  feet  of  reeds  completely  concealed  the  lair.  Vainly 
striving  to  provoke  the  lion  to  advance,  the  hunter  at  last 
ventured  upon  the  initiatory  proceedings  himself  by  attempting 
to  force  his  way  through  the  wall,  when  suddenly  he  entered  a 
comparatively  open  space,  and  met  the  blazing  eyes  of  the 
enraged  animal  fixed  upon  him.  The  instant  allowed  no  aim,  no 
use  of  the  knife  in  his  hand  ;  there  was  only  the  one  awful  sight 
of  the  raving  monster,  his  crouching,  the  furious  bound,  which 
by  some  kind  providence  carried  him  above  and  beyond  his 
victim,  and  the  almost  bewildered  man  scrambled  away  grate- 
fully, in  consciousness  that  his  life  was  hardly  his  own.  This 
suggests  a  singular  fact  recorded  of  the  lion  :  he  is  said  to  mani- 
fest confusion  and  shame  when  on  any  account  he  overleaps  his 
mark  or  misses  his  object,  and  is  never  known  to  repeat  the 
assault  on  such  ocx?asions,  unless  forced  to  do  so  in  self-protec- 
tion ;  frequently  he  has  been  seen  to  pause  after  such  a  blunder, 
and,  returning  quietly  to  the  spot  from  which  he  si)rang,  step 
carefully  the  distance  to  that  where  his  intended  victim  stood, 
then,  looking  up  and  arouild  thoughtfully,  seem  to  be  absorbed 
in  a  calculation.  The  lion  certiiinly  is  held  in  the  highest 
respect  by  the  Makololo  people :  they  greatly  prefer  to  encounter 
the  lances  and  axes,  or  guns,  even,  of  men,  and,  while  they  are 
eager  to  resent  the  slightest  insult  of  a  neighboring  tribe  with 
bloody  war,  they  are  in  mortal  dread  of  invading  the  dominions 
of  this  roaring,  prowling  individual. 

The  fevers,  which  had  begun  their  work  some  time  before, 
were  preying  still  on  the  energies  of  Livingstone ;  all  along  the 
journey  from  Sesheke  he  was  tortured  by  the  inward  lire,  and 
the  poor  accommodations  of  his  camp  made  the  nights  a  ques- 
tionable exchange  for  even  the  toil  and  glaring  sun  u})on  the 
river.  There  was  a  consolation,  though,  in  the  kindness  of  his 
followers  and  the  attentions  of  the  people  along  the  route. 
Their  hospitality  was  rendered  peculiarly  refreshing  by  the 
modesty  with  which  it  was  attended.  The  owner  of  an  ox 
would  gracefully  present  it  to  the  stranger,  remarking,  "  Here 
ia  a  little  bit  of  bread  for  you."     Nothing  is  prettier  in  kind- 


LION    ENCOUXTEK. 


UNWELCOME  FEW'S.  129 

ness  than  unconsciousness.  A  truly  generous  deed,  done  so 
naturally  that  the  dependent  one  hardly  knows  it,  is  benevo- 
lence. It  is  a  pity  that,  with  their  progress  in  other  raattei-s, 
men  progress  so  rapidly  in  appreciation  of  themselves  and  the 
estimate  of  their  own  works. 

At  Nameta  very  unwelcome  news  was  Avaiting  for  Dr.  Liv- 
ingstone. An  uncle  of  Sekeletu,  named  Mpololo,  who  main- 
tained a  sort  of  ascendency  in  the  Barotse  valley,  under  a  spirit 
of  revenge  for  some  former  wrong,  had  sanctioned  a  foray  of  a 
Makololo  party,  headed  by  one  Lerimo,  into  the  territory  of  the 
Balonda.  Lerimo  had  destroyed  several  Balonda  towns,  and 
taken  a  number  of  the  subjects  of  an  under  chief  named  Masiko 
prisoners.  This  invasion  of  the  territory  on  which  Livingstone 
was  about  entering,  by  the  tribe  with  which  he  was  so  nearly 
associated,  and  which  Avas  furnishing  his  guides  and  escort, 
rendered  his  situation  exceedingly  unpleasant,  particularly  as 
the  desolated  towns  lay  along  the  very  route  which  he  must 
follow.  Sekeletu  had  been  careful  to  guard  against  any  such 
embarrassments  of  his  guest  and  his  father's  friend,  by  issuing 
positive  orders  on  the  subject,  prohibiting  all  such  forays,  and 
Mpololo  had  transgressed  his  ordci-s.  This,  however,  did  not 
make  the  matter  better.  At  Litofe,  a  few  miles  higher  up, 
there  was  news  of  a  fresh  foray,  which  had  to  be  disbanded  by 
sending  a  messenger  in  advance  of  the  party.  On  reaching  the 
town  of  Sekeletu's  mother,  where  Mpololo  was,  the  missionary 
required  them  to  place  the  prisoners  who  had  been  taken  by 
Lerimo  in  his  charge  to  be  returned  to  Masiko,  as  a  proof  of  his 
friendship  and  as  an  evidence,  too,  that  the  whole  responslbilitv 
of  the  invasion  lay  with  a  petty  chief  who  would  be  hold 
accountable  by  his  master.  By  this  means  this  wise  and  i)atient 
man  was  able  to  avert  probably  a  cruel  war.  Mpololo  was  })ar- 
ticularly  generous  of  the  property  he  had  in  charge,  and  filled 
all  the  orders  of  Sekeletu  for  the  party  with  a  good  grace ;  so 
that  Livingstone  left  Naliele  in  j^ossession  of  fifteen  fine  oxen, 
eight  of  which  were  for  riding  purposes,  the  others  for  slaughter 
or  presents  as  occasion  might  require.  They  Avere  at  I>ibonta, 
the  border  toAvn  of  the  Makololo,  on  tho  17th  of  December. 

During  the  delay  Avhich  Avas  necessary  at  Libonta  the  doctor 
ha4  abundant  use  for  his  skill  in  the  healing  art ;  the  fever  Avaa 


130  THE  CAMP. 

prevailing  both  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  and  his  own 
people.  He  had  very  little  regard  for  the  native  method  of 
treating  this  disease,  which  he  experienced  himself,  on  one  occa- 
sion, to  be  a  process  of  "  charming  one  scientifically,  while  he  is 
stewed  in  vapor  baths  and  smoked  like  a  red  heri-ing  over  green 
twigs."  His  gentler  and  surer  treatment  was  soon  in  great 
demand  and  burdened  him  with  a  full  practice,  gratis  of  course. 
He  had  also  occasion  for  surgical  skill.  A  party  of  natives 
were  forced  to  go  after  a  bold,  depredating  lion.  They  must 
meet  their  game  in  closer  quarters  than  the  civilized  hunter,  for 
the  spear  and  knife  or  club  must  do  the  work  of  powder  and 
ball.  It  was  an  unlucky  day  fer  one  poor  fellow,  who  was 
brought  home  with  the  bone  of  his  thigh  crushed.  Even  the 
white  man's  charms  were  unequal  to  this  occasion.  There  is, 
according  to  Livingstone,  a  virus  about  the  teeth  of  the  lion 
which  occasions  painful  inflammation,  and  the  wound  of  his 
teeth  "  resembles  a  gunshot  wound."  It  is  generally  followed 
by  a  great  deal  of  sloughing  and  discharge,  and  if  one  is  so  for- 
tunate as  to  escape  with  life,  the  injury  follows  him  all  through 
life  in  periodical  pains  about  the  wounded  part. 

Before  following  our  hero  away  from  the  lovely  valley  of  the 
Barotse,  on  his  tramp  to  the  sea,  we  will  look  just  once  on  tlie 
home  he  nightly  improvised  along  the  banks  of  the  lovely  Lee- 
ambye.  It  is  to  be  remembered  that,  while  his  party  are  all 
subjects  of  Sekeletu,  only  two  are  really  Makololo.  There  are 
representatives  of  several  subject  tribes.  The  little  camp  pre- 
sents all.  the  order  of  larger  ones  in  regions  more  enlightened, 
w^here  human  foes  demand  the  vigilance.  A  little  gypsy  tent 
marks  the  quarters  of  the  white  man  ;  he  is  sleeping  there  be- 
tween the  two  trusty  Makololo,  who  have  the  post  of  honor, 
and  hold  his  precious  life  in  sacred  trust.  About  the  narrow 
bed  the  boxes  form  a  wall.  Across  the  entrance  the  faithful 
head-boatman,  Moshanana,  is  lying,  his  own  body  given  to 
form  the  door  which  violence  must  pass  through  to  reach  his 
leader.  About  this  tent  the  rude  brush  sheds,  arranged  in 
horseshoe  shape,  mark  the  resting-places  of  the  attendants, 
separated  according  to  their  tribes.  Within  the  circumference 
of  this  force  the  oxen  arc  standing;  and  sometimes,  lurking  in 
the  shadows  of  the  trees,  there  is  a  stealthy  beast  of  prey ;  his 


COOKS   AND   LAUNDRY-MAIDS.  133 

glassy  eyes  may  be  seen  shining  in  the  firelight,  or  his  deep 
growl  provokes  an  oath  from  his  almost  as  savage  neighbor 
under  the  shed.  When  the  clear,  full  moon  looked  down,  the 
fires  were  allowed  to  burn  low,  and  leave  to  its  lonely  guard  a 
scene  picturesque  as  could  be,  for  the  angels  to  look  on,  and 
God's  benediction. 

Among  his  followers  Livingstone  selected  some  who  were 
instructed  in  a  few  of  the  simpler  mysteries  of  the  white  man's 
culinary  system.  Others  he  taught  the  process  of  restoring  his 
travel-stained  linen  to  its  virgin  purity.  The  ready  willing- 
ness of  these  faithful  men  to  do  him  service  helped  them  greatly, 
and  soon  they  did  their  new  duty  with  a  skill  which  might 
have  provoked  the  envy  of  cooks  and  laundry-maids  "  to  the 
manor  born."  The  experience  of  Dr.  Livingstone  sustained 
his  refined  instincts  and  early  lessons  of  neatness,  in  teaching 
him  to  hold  fast  the  distinctions  of  civilization  in  all  the  habits 
of  life  as  far  as  could  be,  even  in  the  heart  of  the  most  ignorant 
and  degraded  continent.  The  barbarous  people  Avill  hardly 
struggle  toward  a  higher  life  whose  customs  are  readily  aban- 
doned, like  the  hues  of  the  chameleon,  for  the  demands  of  a  new 
locality.  The  affairs  of  every-day  life,  like  eating  and  dressing, 
are  the  most  striking  features  of  civilization  in  the  eyes  of  the 
uncivilized,  and  about  these  their  wonder  and  respect  begin ;  to 
change  or  abandon  these  is  to  break  the  young  tendrils  of  their 
confidence  or  admiration,  and  cancel  all  claims  on  their  disciple- 
ship. 

It  is  worth  while  for  all  who  think  of  venturing  on  a  life- 
work  in  savage  lands  to  remember  that  such  a  man  as  David 
Livingstone  records  his  testimony,  that  "it  is  questionable 
whether  a  descent  to  barbarous  ways  ever  elevates  a  man  in  the 
eyes  of  a  savage.  And  is  there  a  question  whether  Christianity 
is  more  a  loser  than  gainer  by  the  coming  down  of  Christians  to 
join  in  the  doubtful  avocations  and  delights  of  a  worldly 
society  ?  " 

The  almost  singular  humanity  of  Dr.  Livingstone,  which 
shines  out  so  beautifully  in  all  his  career,  comes  strikingly  into 
notice  in  his  own  journal  of  events  occurring  a  short  distance 
above  Libonta.  They  had  halted  and  sent  some  messengers  oil' 
to  the  west,  charged  with  the  duty  of  returning  some  of  the 


134  HUMANITY   AND   COURAGE. 

captives  to  Mnkoma.  The  scene  was  one  which  would  have 
filled  the  heart  of  Cumraing  or  Anderson  or  Harris  with  san- 
guinary delight.  Herds  of  splendid  animals  were  feeding  on 
every  side.  He  says  he  could  easily  have  gotten  within  fifty 
yards  of  them ;  but  he  adds :  "  There  I  lay,  looking  at  beautiful 
pokus,  leches,  and  other  antelopes  often,  till  my  men,  wonder- 
ing what  was  the  matter,  came  up  and  frightened  them  away. 
I  felt  a  doubt  and  the  antelopes  got  the  benefit  of  it."  Even 
when  he  wjis  driven  to  use  his  gun  in  providing  food,  this  noble 
man  was  always  studying  to  find  the  peculiarly  fatal  spot  where 
the  death-wound  might  produce  the  least  possible  pain. 

The  progress  up  the  river  beyond  Libonta  was  slower  and 
more  toilsome,  because  a  division  of  the  party  had  to  follow 
along  on  the  land  with  the  oxen,  and  it  was  a  trying  path  in- 
deed, if  path  it  may  be  called,  which  needed  to  be  opened  almost 
every  foot  in  some  parts  of  it  by  the  axe.  They  were  not  only 
leaving  the  lovely  valley,  but  the  empire  of  the  children  of 
Sebituane  for  the  untried  Balonda. 

It  is  so  natural  for  the  reader  to  become  absorbed  in  the 
strange  surroundings  of  an  explorer ;  his  novel  experiences  are 
so  full  of  interest,  that  the  man  himself  is  hardly  appreciated  as 
he  should  be.  It  is  peculiarly  so  in  tracing  the  steps  of  Dr. 
Livingstone.  He  moves  along  so  quietly,  calling  so  little  atten- 
tion to  himself,  that  one  almost  forgets  the  incalculable  toil  and 
suffering  of  such  long  and  tedious  marches  through  an  unknown 
land.  And  every  interview  and  transaction  with  the  native 
chiefs  is  told  so  simply,  so  devoid  of  all  representations  of  the 
difficulties  and  |>erils  wiiicli  attended  it,  that  one  is  tempted  to 
forget  that  it  is  really  the  history  of  a  single  almost  defenceless 
man  dealing  with  barbarous  chiefs  in  their  own  wild  fortresses. 
We  are  particularly  struck  with  the  lofty  moral  courage  of 
Livingstone,  when  we  find  him  boldly  reproving  these  chiefs, 
and  almost  dictating  to  them  their  duties.  He  seemed  to  have 
no  idea  but  that  right  and  truth  must  prevail,  and  exhibited 
absolute  fearlessness  and  confidence  while  conscience  clear  in  his 
devotion  to  these.  Almost  the  first  act  within  the  Balonda 
borders  was  to  send  quite  a  severe  rebuke  to  Masiko  for  allow- 
ing the  sale  of  his  people  into  slavery.  It  is  true  his  message 
was  attended  by  the  return  of  some  captives  wrenched  from  the 


THE    ELACK    LDEBA.  135 

hand  of  Lcrlmo;  this  only  manifests  the  kindness  of  his  heart 
and  his  -wisdom,  and  does  not  depreciate  the  real  courage  of 
stepping  on  a  strange  territory  and  boldly  denouncing  a  custom 
which  brought  its  revenue  to  a  savage  chief.  There  is  some- 
thing singularly  Christlike  in  the  progress  of  this  great  man, 
as  we  have  followed  him,  and  shall  follow  him,  along  the  rivers 
and  through  the  wildernesses  of  benighted  Africa.  His  counsel 
is  always  peace,  his  example  always  kindness,  his  conduct 
always  calm  and  his  spirit  bold. 

This  Masiko,  to  whom  he  scut  his  messengers  from  the  con- 
fluence of  the  Leeba  and  Leeambye,  was  not  really  a  Balonda 
man,  though  reckoned  now  with  the  Balonda  chiefs.  He  was 
the  son  of  Santuru,  the  former  chief  of  the  Barotse.  He  had 
established  himself  beyond  the  Makololo  authority,  and  gathered 
about  him  such  of  the  Barotse  as  would  share  his  fortunes.  He 
was  included  now  in  the  number  of  tribes  which  recognize  the 
paramount  authority  of  Matiamoo.  This  explanation  is  due  to 
the  people  generally  who  bear  the  name  of  Balonda ;  because, 
while  they  are  more  or  less  cursed  by  the  visits  of  the  Mambari, 
the  popular  sentiment  denounces  the  slave  trade,  and  the 
l^eople  were  often  expressing  their  envy  of  the  Makololo,  their 
exemption  from  its  sorrows  and  degradation. 

From  the  confluence  the  route  toward  Loauda  led  away  from 
the  main  branch  along  the  Black  Leeba,  which  is  described  as 
flowing  througli  a  region  where  nature  has  turned  artist  and 
disposed  of  trees  and  shrubs  and  rivulets  and  vines  and  flowers 
in  true  garden  beauty ;  where  even  the  lowly  banks  are  terraced 
as  regularly  as  if  to  please  a  fastidious  human  taste.  The  \vhole 
scene  is  gentler  than  along  the  Leeambye.  The  Balonda  arrows 
Iiave  taught  their  forest  subjects  caution,  their  traps  and  snares 
have  intimidated  the  birds,  and  even  the  fish  are  fewer,  and  the 
crocodile  has  learned  the  fear  of  man.  The  banks  of  the  Leeba 
are  waiting  for  the  botanist,  and  offer  a  rich  harvest.  Among 
the  trees  rejoicing  the  traveller's  eye  with  their  wealth  of  blos- 
soms was  one  so  like  the  hawthorn  in  flowers,  fruit  and  fra- 
grance that  the  sweetest  memories  of  other  times  and  dearer 
scenes  swept  over  the  heart  of  the  wanderer.  Food  was  not  so 
easily  provided  now  as  along  the  Leeambye.  The  young  men 
were  doubly  interested  in  a  buffalo  hunt.     Dr.  Livingstone  held 


136  THREE    LIOXS    AND    A    EUFFAIX). 

tills  animal  In  rather  higher  esteem  than  the  commonly  received 
king  of  beasts.  lie  could  not  but  be  impressed  by  the  rapid, 
resistless  charge  of  this  powerful  animal.  His  Makololo  com- 
panions, who  manifest  a  solemn  hesitancy  in  disputing  the 
rights  of  the  lion,  follow  along  the  buffalo  trail  carelessly 
enough.  He  is  a  foe  whom  they  understand ;  one  for  which 
they  may  be  prepared.  It  is  rather  singular  to  observe  in  this 
great  lumbering  monster  the  same  cunning  endeavors  to  elude 
the  pursuers  which  distinguish  the  fox  and  the  stag.  It  is 
true,  however,  that  the  buffalo  observes  the  same  shifting  and 
turning,  often  doubling  on  its  track,  and  frequently  concealing 
itself  within  a  few  yards  of  the  starting-point.  When,  however, 
it  becomes  really  desperate,  and  comes  dashing  with  reckless 
impetuosity  upon  its  assailant,  it  is  the  time  for  either  special 
prowess  or  special  prayers.  This  is  the  moment  when  the 
native  dexterity  is  exhibited  most  admirably.  Just  at  the 
instant  when  he  seems  to  be  a  victim,  and  the  beholder  almost 
screams  in  terror,  the  young  nmn  glides  aside  and  stabs  his 
enemy  very  much  after  the  fashion  in  a  Spanish  bull-fight. 
Max  Vardon,  who  shared  considerably  the  sporting  experiences 
of  Mr.  Oswell,  mentions  witnessing  a  figlit  between  a  buffalo 
and  three  full-grown  lions.  The  gentlemen  mentioned  were 
pureuing  the  buffalo,  which  they  had  wounded,  and  were  in 
full  sight  of  it,  when  they  saw  the  lions  spring  from  their  lair 
and  attack  him.  The  spectacle  was  awful.  Fastening  their 
mighty  teeth  in  the  flanks  and  shoulders  of  the  buffalo,  the 
three  tremendous  lions  could  be  seen  exerting  all  tlicir  fearful 
strength  to  drag  him  down,  while  their  angry  growls  mingled 
with  his  agonized  and  furious  bellowing,  and  his  gigantic 
bounds  and  struggles  M^here  amazing  and  aM-ful.  It  is  impossi- 
ble to  tell  how  the  singular  and  unequal  contest  would  have 
ended  but  for  the  trusty  rifles  of  the  hunters,  who  terminated 
the  scene  by  "  bagging  a  brace  of  lions  and  the  buffalo  in  about 
ten  minutes." 

When  the  party  had  come  opposite  the  village  of  Itrancnko, 
they  received  messages  from  her  ladyship,  Avho  holds  the  chief- 
taincy there,  requesting  a  delay  until  she  could  come  to  them  ; 
but  after  several  days  of  useless  interchange  of  messages,  while 
incessant  rains  were  aggravating  impatience,  Livingstone  deter- 


HE  IS  A  merman/'  139 


rains 


mined  to  press  on  -without  having  seen  tliis  lady.  The 
and  almost  continuous  fevers  were  wearing  sadly  on  the  natur- 
ally vigorous  man,  and  he  felt  deeply  anxious  to  advance  as 
expeditiously  as  possible. 

At  the  confluence  of  the  Leeba  and  the  Makondo  they  found 
traces  of  the  Mambari  merchants.  These  enterprising  men  are 
satisfied  to  hold  their  valuable  trade  with  the  interior  wilds, 
and  feel  under  no  obligation  to  enlighten  their  customers  con- 
cerning the  world  beyond  the  rivers  which  bound  their  domin- 
ions. They  represent  the  white  men  as  dwelling  in  the  sea. 
These  representations  of  the  Mambari  explain  the  almost  reso- 
lute  confidence  of  the  Balonda  in  the  belief  that  Livingstone 
Avas  none  other  than  a  merman.  Indeed,  the  hair  of  Living- 
stone was  the  greatest  curiosity.  They  could  account  for  the 
deeper  shades  of  their  complexion,  because  he  showed  them  the 
effect  of  the  sun  and  weather  in  bronzing  his  own  hands  and 
flice,  while  the  skin  of  his  breast,  unexposed,  remained  perfectly 
white.  But  the  hair — they  had  never  seen  straight  hair.  It 
must  be,  they  reasoned  ;  "  he  comes  out  of  the  sea.  The  waves 
have  washed  his  hair  straight.     He  is  a  merman." 

These  people  are  sadly  superstitious;  in  this  they  are  unlilce 
the  more  southern  tribes,  who,  it  will  be  remembered,  marii- 
fested  hardly  anything  of  the  sort.  They  employ  every  variety 
of  charms,  and  everywhere  there  are  evidences  of  their  idol 
worship. 

After  the  failure  to  accomplish  an  interview  wath  Manenko, 
the  party  advanced  as  far  as  a  village  over  which  an  aunt  of 
that  lady,  named  Nyamoana,  wielded  the  sceptre.  It  was  rather 
a  new  thing  under  the  African  sun  to  be  in  the  power  of  the 
women  ;  but  Dr.  Livingstone  deported  himself  as  graciously  as 
though  he  had  been  an  experienced  attendant  of  the  sex.  The 
good  lady  who  did  him  the  honors  now  was  bent  on  having  him 
turn  aside  from  the  Leeba  and  allow  her  people  to  conduct  him 
to  her  brother,  who  was  the  greatest  chief  in  all  that  i)art  of 
Balonda.  It  M-as  no  use  to  urge  the  desirableness  of  river 
transportation.  Her  head  was  set,  and  just  in  the  midst  of  the 
controversy  she  was  reinforced  by  the  unexpected  arrival  of 
Alanenko.  The  odds  were  against  him,  and  the  great  explore)-, 
who  had  cut  his  way  through  forests  and  carried  his  point 
7 


140 


NOX-CaSTUME   AND   LOEDSHIP. 


against  chiefs,  yielded  the  controversy  to  two  women,  and  began 
])rcparations  for  an  awful  march  through  swamps  and  floods. 
As  Manenko  assumed  to  direct  this  expedition,  and  requires  us 
to  follow  her  majestic  leadership  for  many  days,  we  will  take 
time  for  her  acquaintance.  She  is  described  as  tall,  strapping 
and  twenty.  She  was  most  elaborately  y.rrayed  in  a  coating  of 
red  ochre ;  only  that  and  "  nothing  more,"  unless  the  strands  of 
ornaments  and  medicine  charms  about  her  neck  may  be  called 
clothing.  The  non-costume,  which  she  prided  herself  on,  was 
intended  to  teach  her  people  to  despise  anything  effeminate. 
Indeed,  the  whole  Balonda  people  are  singularly  negligent  of 
clothing;  the  w^omen  particularly  seldom  wear  anything  but 
ornaments,  and  are  seen  everywhere  in  frightful  nudity.  The 
men  are  hardly  better  arrayed,  and  seem  equally  fond  of  orna- 
ments. The  most  prevalent  insignia  of  wealth  and  position 
consist  in  the  rings  which  are  worn  about  the  ankles.  Some 
chiefs  put  on  so  many  that  they  walk  with  considerable  diffi- 
culty, and  are  forced  to  keep  their  feet  far  apart.  And  those 
gentlemen  who  are  desirous  to  appear  important  are  often  noticed 
assuming  the  difficult  gait  of  their  betters.  When  Livingstone 
smiled  at  seeing  one  of  these  gentlemen  walking  as  if  his  limbs 
were  burdened,  when  really  there  were  only  one  or  two  small 
i-ings  to  be  seen,  one  of  the  people  remarked,  "  That  is  the  way 
they  show  off  their  lordship  in  these  parts." 

From  the  village  of  Nyamoana,  the  party  were  to  abandon 
the  canoes  and  strike  out  into  the  forests ;  and  the  preparations 
necessarily  occupied  some  days,  particularly  as  the  self-willed 
Manenko  preserved  a  most  despotic  indifference  to  the  impa- 
tience of  her  guest,  and  took  her  own  time  as  well  as  her  own 
methods  in  the  matter.  It  was  exceedingly  trying  to  Living- 
stone, reduced  to  the  meanest  diet,  and  exposed  to  the  most 
inclement  weather,  to  be  arrested  by  this  petticoat  government; 
but  the  daily  specimens  of  our  lady's  attainments  in  the  pecu- 
liarly feminine  art  of  scolding  which  came  under  his  notice  kept 
him  in  subjection,  and  he  could  only  obey,  when  she  met  his  re- 
bellion by  very  quietly  and  authoritatively  putting  her  hand  on 
his  shoulder,  and  reminding  him  of  the  ready  submission  of  his 
followers,  adding:  ''Now,  my  little  man,  just  do  as  they  have 
done."     Manenko,  however,  was  really  kind,  and  did  all  in  her 


MANEXKO   TAKES   COMMAND.  141 

power  to  render  the  weary  and  sick  explorer  comfortable.  It 
was  not  in  her  power  to  yield  her  will,  pcrha})8;  that  is  a  hard 
thing  for  men  to  do,  and  more  than  should  be  expected  of  her. 

With  the  morning  of  January  11th  the  delay  ended.  The 
journey  lay  first  across  a  succession  of  forests  and  lawns,  where 
the  largest  evergreens  were  exchanged  for  the  richest  carjiets 
of  green  grass.  The  singular  little  army  marched  gallantly 
along  through  the  driving  rain — the  queenly  Manenko  in 
advance,  in  her  coat  of  red  grease,  the  picture  of  inde- 
pendence. And  she  led  the  party  at  a  right  good  })ace,  and 
so  steadily  that  they  were  rejoiced  when  she  would  finally  allow 
them  to  rest.  The  Makololo,  who  were  as  unaccustomed  to 
such  leadership  as  Dr.  Livingstone,  were  full  of  admiration  for 
this  phenomenon  in  that  line,  and  declared  that  Manenko  was 
"  a  soldier." 

It  is  the  custom  in  the  Balonda  country  for  the  men  to  carry 
tbeir  arms,  and  wherever  our  party  pitched  their  tent  they 
were  surrounded  by  numbers  of  ferocious-looking  individuals 
with  short  swords  and  quivers  of  the  wickedest-looking  iron- 
headed  arrows.  They  did  not  receive  the  same  attentions,  how- 
ever, which  had  cheered  their  way  through  the  Makololo  tribes, 
and  found  none  of  the  ready  hospitality  which  made  them 
almost  careless  of  supplies.  The  missionary  was  made  to  add 
hunger  to  the  record  of  hardships.  Fev^er,  rain,  hunger^  day 
after  day,  tells  a  story  of  painful  sacrifice,  and  the  gentleness, 
the  faith  and  perseverance  which  could  not  be  overcome,  tell  of 
singular  greatness  and  God's  upholding.  The  houses  are  the 
ordinary  huts,  but  they  are  unlike  the  homes  farther  south,  in 
being  surrounded  by  strong  palisades,  as  if  designed  to  be  fort- 
resses in  case  of  war.  War  does  not  spare  the  enlightened  or 
benighted:  it  is  everywhere.  The  trees  of  the  forests  along  tliis 
route  were  of  the  finest  proportions,  such  as  would  almost  turn 
the  head  of  a  lumberman;  but  they  suggest  no  ideas  of  wealth 
or  greater  comfort  to  the  rude  men  who  shoot  their  arrows 
among  their  branchas  or  stalk  the  game  in  their  deep  shadovrs. 

The  gloomy  depths  of  these  forests  seem  to  cast  a  shadow  on 
the  spirits  of  the  dark  beings  who  dwell  in  them ;  charms  and 
medicines  are  found  in  most  unexpected  places,  and  idols  are 
more  numerous  as  the  forests  deepen.     The  idols  of  Balonda 


142  INVITATION   AT   LAST. 

take  various  shapes;  are  the  most  uncouth  conceivable  speci- 
mens of  art.  Some  are  intended  to  represent  animals  and 
others  human  heads ;  but  haste  or  carelessness  sometimes  satis- 
fies itself  by  setting  up  a  crooked  stick,  before  which  to  bow  in 
worship.  Even  the  trees  are  pressed  into  this  service,  and 
passing  along  there  may  be  seen  offerings  of  maize  or  manioc 
laid  on  the  branches  of  a  stately  raotuia,  while  faces  of  beasts 
or  men  are  carved  in  the  bark  about  its  trunk. 

The  prevailing  superstition  casts  its  protection  over  property; 
theft  is  seldom  heard  of;  a  trifling  charm  or  piece  of  medicine 
bark  is  enough  to  guard  the  most  precious  articles,  however 
exposed,  from  native  hands.  Civilization  will  kill  the  charm, 
and  inaugurate  prisons.  Christianity  ought  to  put  the  charm 
in  the  breasts  of  the  people.  It  carries  a  medicine  which  is  a 
specific  in  cases  of  covetousness.  The  love  of  Christ  in  the 
hearts  of  men  ought  to  be  a  surer  protection  to  their  fellows 
than  a  broken  twig  or  scrap  of  bark. 

Before  the  white  man  could  enter  the  town  of  Shinte,  he  was 
obliged  to  endure  the  delay  of  a  tedious  interchange  of  messages 
between  the  female  master  of  proceedings  and  her  lordly  uncle. 
Livingstone  was  vexed  by  this  delay,  because  he  was  only 
then  finding  out  a  very  important  feature  of  Balonda  civility, 
indeed  we  may  say  of  African  civility.  In  the  Makololo 
country  he  had  been  preceded  by  the  messengers  of  Sekeletu, 
and  found  the  villagers  always  expecting  to  receive  him ;  here, 
however,  the  case  was  different,  and  he  had  frequently  fright- 
ened whole  communities  by  his  sudden  appearance  in  their 
midst,  besides  the  inconvenience  of  missing  the  supplies  which 
he  so  much  needed.  True  etiquette  requires  that  a  travelling 
party  halt  before  entering  a  village,  and  send  forward  a  mes- 
senger, explaining  to  the  chief  the  character  and  objects  of  his 
visitors.  It  is  then  incumbent  on  the  town  to  extend  its 
liospitalitics,  and  the  chief  is  glad  to  do  the  honors  of  the 
occasion  in  his  best  style.  The  unwilling  allegiance  which  Dr. 
Livingstone  was  callc<l  on  to  render  the  dilly-dallying  ISIanenko 
turned  out  a  good  school  to  him,  and  contributal  very  much  to 
the  facility  of  his  future  travels  and  pleasant  intercourse  with 
the  tribes. 

When   the   invitation   at  last  came   from   Shinte  the   party 


FULL    US-DREHB.  1-13 

advanced  gladly,  and  upon  a  small  valley  of  wonderful  beauty 
it  broke  upon  their  eyes,  weary  of  the  deep  shadows  of  the 
wood,  like  a  fairy  picture.  Gently  meandering  along  the  very 
centre  of  the  valley  was  a  beautiful  stream,  and  a  little  rivulet 
CLvme  in  from  the  west.  There  was  the  town,  embowered  in  the 
splendid  tropical  trees  whose  broad  leaves  lapping  and  woven 
formed  a  splendid  canopy,  and  everywhere  in  the  arbor-like 
grove  the  banana  was  seen,  drooping  its  tempting  fruit  just  over 
the  heads  of  the  i)eople.  You  remember  the  singular  Bechuana 
abhorrence  of  straight  lines:  everything,  you  remember,  was 
crooke<l;  their  huts  were  round,  their  streets  were  tortuous. 
The  square  houses  and  straight  streets  of  the  town  of  Shinte 
were  a  delightful  change.  These  streets  and  huts,  too,  were 
thronging  with  strange  sights.  The  remarkable  poverty  of 
clothing  in  use  in  Balonda  has  been  mentioned,  but  it  must  not 
be  understood  that  this  is  because  of  the  poverty  of  the  people, 
or  their  greater  ignorance  as  compared  with  their  more  southern 
neighbors.  It  is  simply  fashion,  and  you  know  there  is  no 
disputing  on  that  subject:  fashion  is  fashion.  There  may  be  a 
fashion  of  going  undressed  or  dressed.  The  former  is  the 
Balonda  fashion.  The  skill  which  confines  itself  to  the  adorn- 
ment of  the  ankles  and  head  is  there  displayed  in  most 
remarkable  manner.  Their  otherwise  pleasant  features  are 
distorted  by  the  pieces  of  reed  which  they  thrust  through  the 
septum  of  the  nose.  The  hair  is  woven  in  a  great  variety  of 
patterns :  the  more  common  appearance  is  that  of  horns  like  a 
buffalo ;  sometimes  there  is  only  a  single  horn  protruding  in 
front.  One  of  the  most  remarkable  styles  is  almost  startling  to 
the  uninitiated  beholder:  the  hair  is  woven  into  a  great  num- 
ber of  strands ;  these  are  all  so  arranged  as  to  stand  out  from 
the  head,  and  are  fastened  at  their  extremities  to  a  hoop  of 
light  wood,  so  that  the  face  appears  at  a  little  distance  as  if  set 
in  a  painful  sarcasm  on  the  nimbus  with  which  the  heads  of 
saints  are  surrounded. 

The  men  are  a  little  more  conformed  to  our  ideas  of  decency, 
in  that  they  wear  aprons  of  beautifully  tanned  skins;  and  their 
wealth  of  woolly  hair  enables  them  to  rival  their  sable  belles  in 
its  awful  arrangement.  Both  men  and  women  are  eager  for  all 
articles  of  foreign  manufacture ;  particularly  are  they  covetous 


144  '  BLOOD   EELATIONS. 

of  the  bright  clothes  which  are  sometimes  exposed  to  their  view, 
ind  men  or  women  think  themselves  splendidly  attired  if  they 
;*an  get  a  few  feet  of  such  an  article  to  wrap  about  the  neck  or 
body.  There  is  much  regard  paid  to  salutations  and  the  form- 
ing of  friendships.  Parties  approaching  each  other  are  expected 
to  stoop  down  and  take  up  some  sand  and  rub  it  on  the  arms 
and  breast.  There  are  gradations  in  these  salutations,  hoAvever, 
as  in  other  matters.  Great  chiefs,  for  instance,  only  pretend  to 
take  up  the  sand,  and  do  not  really  put  any  on  the  arms  or 
breast ;  whereas  one  who  is  very  polite,  or  desires  to  be  con- 
sidered so,  carries  a  sort  of  white  powder  with  him,  and  rubbing 
that  on  his  arms  and  breast,  exhibits  it  to  the  person  whom  he 
accosts;  then,  stooping  down,  places  first  one  cheek  then  the 
other  on  the  ground,  the  meantime  clapping  his  hands  joyfully. 
In  many  respects  the  people  of  Balonda  won  greatly  on  the 
appreciation  of  Livingstone.  Their  kindness  and  manliness 
and  politeness  were  more  apparent  as  he  became  better  ac- 
quainted with  their  customs.  His  lady  captain  busied  her- 
self now  in  more  womanly  duties,  and  was  quite  assiduous  in 
providing  such  food  as  the  doctor  could  eat,  and  proved  herself 
no  less  a  gentle  friend  than  a  bold  escort.  Friendships  among 
the  Balonda  is  a  matter  of  great  importance,  and  is  sealed  with 
a  most  solemn  ceremony.  The  parties  w^ho  have  agreed  to  be- 
come particular  friends  sit  down  fronting  each  other;  beside 
each  is  placed  a  cup  of  beer.  "With  a  sharp  knife  slight  gashes 
are  then  made  in  the  clasped  hands,  the  pit  of  the  stomach,  the 
right  cheek  and  the  forehead  of  each.  A  blade  of  grass  is  then 
pressed  by  each  into  his  own  wounds,  and  the  blood  is  washed 
from  the  grass  in  the  beer.  The  parties  tlien  exchange  the 
cups,  so  that  each  shall  drink  the  other's  blood.  After  this 
ceremony  they  are  blood  relations.  The  friends  of  each  who 
may  be  present  are  expected  to  share  the  beer.  The  most  pre- 
cious gifts  are  exdianged,  and  the  friends  are  bound  for  any 
emergency,  and  are  ])Iedgcd  to  assist  «>ach  other  in  every  possi- 
ble manner.  We  can  hardly  pasa  '^uch  a  ceremony  without 
remembering  the  blood  of  Him  to  ^vhom  all  Christians  pledge 
themselves  as  often  as  they  taste  Mie  emblematical  wine  which 
he  called  his  blood.  AVe  ara  \iis  blood  relations  bound  in 
sacred  obliiration. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

THROUGH   LONDA. 

Reception  at  Shinte's  Town — The  Introduction — Private  Interviews — Etiquette 
of  the  Balonda — Love  for  Mothers — Slavery — Theft — Magic  Lantern — Rains — 
Iron- Works — Flooded  Plains — A  Charming  Home— Death  and  Desolate  Vil- 
lages— Balonda  Ideas  of  a  Future  State — What  to  Preach  to  Heathen — Trou- 
blesome Guide — Burial  of  the  Dead — Mandans — Sioux — Patagonians — Bechu- 
anas — Balonda— Sunday  with  Quendeude — Beautiful  Country — The  Lotembwa 
— Katema — Reception — Provisions  Presented — Wisdom  of  Katema — Cattle — 
Birds  in  Cages — Birds  and  Beasts — Birds  and  Spiders— Human  Spiders — Fevers 
Again — Not  much  Impression — Heroism  of  Livingstone — Lake  Dilolo — Rivers 
Run  Northward — Mambari  Traders — Influence  on  Border  Tribes — Demands 
of  Pay  for  Passing  Through  Country— Expected  to  Fight — An  Ox  Given — A 
Man  Demanded — Sickness  of  Livingstone — Mutiny  in  his  Camp — Its  Cure — 
Men  Repent— The  Quango  at  Last — Bashange's  Tax — Cyprlano  di  Abrue's 
Kindness — Portuguese  Possessions— Sweet  Sleep — Angels. 

On  the  morning  of  January  17th  the  spacious  kotla  of 
Shinte's  town  presented  its  grandest  appearance.  The  kotla, 
we  may  remark,  is  an  open  space  commonly  reserved  in  the 
towns  of  this  part  of  Africa  for  purposes  of  public  interest,  and 
renders  service  as  temple,  council  chamber,  or  dancing  hall,  as 
occasion  may  demand.  The  throne  of  the  chief  was  under  the 
broad  leaves  of  a  splendid  banyan  tree,  which  seemed  almost 
conscious  of  its  dignity  in  spreading  a  canopy  over  a  chieftain's 
head.  Shinte  was  arrayed  in  his  best.  The  checked  jacket  and 
kilt  of  baize  were  aided  by  a  crown  of  woven  beads  and  a  waving 
bunch  of  feathers.  Just  behind  the  chief  were  seated  a  hundred 
women,  and  nearly  a  thousand  men  were  ranged  in  the  broad 
circumference  of  the  place. 

The  guests  advanced  into  the  kotla  escorted  by  the  subjei-t 

lord  of  the  matron  captain  of  the  M'ilderness   march,  who  a]>- 

proached  Shinte  first,  followed  by  Manenko's  ])eop]e,  who  did 

the  national  obeisance  in  style.     Dr.   Livingstone  was   seated 

under  the  banyan,  which  furnished  a  broad  shade,  facing  the 

chief.     Then  came  the  representatives  of  all  the  sections  of  the 

145 


146  PRIVATE   TALKS   WITH   SIIIXTE. 

tribe,  who  saluted  their  chief  and  resumed  their  places.  After 
these,  distinguished  men  did  him  reverence,  rubbing  their 
breasts  and  arms  with  white  powder.  Then,  suddenly,  a  host 
of  soldiers,  bursting  from  concealment,  rushed  wildly  toward 
Livingstone  and  his  men,  brandishing  their  swords  and  shout- 
ing like  demons ;  who,  having  tested  the  courage  of  their  visitor 
to  their  satisfaction,  retired. 

The  audience  was  now  opened  by  the  husband  of  Manenko, 
Mho,  in  an  elaborate  speech,  declared  the  history  and  purposes 
of  the  white  man,  which,  however,  he  considered  only  lies,  and 
grounded  his  appeal  in  his  behalf  entirely  on  the  generosity  of 
the  Balonda  and  Shinte's  habitual  kindness.  After  him  the 
great  men  all  had  their  talks,  interspersed  by  the  songs  of  the 
women  and  encouraged  by  their  applause. 

During  all  this  while  the  explorer  sat  quietly  and  surveyed 
the  novel  scene,  and  at  the  close  Shinto  arose  and  retired  with 
conscious  dignity,  and  the  multitude  dispersed  to  be  lost  again 
in  the  ordinary  affairs  of  life. 

After  the  public  reception,  which  was  really  only  a  display 
for  his  entertainment,  certainly  one  in  which  the  visitor  was 
only  a  spectator,  Livingstone  was  invited  frequently  to  confer 
with  Shinte  in  private,  and  received  many  expressions  of  his 
regard  and  of  his  sympathy  with  the  purposes  of  the  expedition. 
But  one  great  blemish  spoiled  the  otherwise  pleasant  character 
of  this  chief — he  was  manifestly  in  secret  sympathy  with  the 
slave  dealers.  The  Mambari  are  allowed  to  erect  their  slave- 
pens  right  under  his  eye,  and  nightly  sorrows  of  parents  bereft 
of  their  children  under  cover  of  the  darkness  find  no  redress  at 
his  hands.  Dr.  Livingstone  threw  his  influence  against  the 
-wicked  trade,  but  it  was  only  the  voice  of  one  man.  Yes,  it 
was  God's  truth,  and  though  scattered  only  as  fine  seed,  may 
ultimately  spread  its  blessed  protection  over  those  miserable 
homes,  and  become  a  wall  of  principle  against  which  the  covet- 
(»us  importunities  of  cruel  tradesmen  in  human  souls  shall  beat 
vainly,  as  against  the  breast  of  Christ. 

The  Balonda  are  on  their  best  behavior  in  this  town,  and 
the  inexorable  laws  of  society  were  seen  everywhere  in  the 
punctilious  observances  of  the  people.  Social  grades  existed  in 
mast  unquestionable  authority.     The  inferior  would  not  pre- 


MAGIC   LANTERN    EXCITEMENT.  147 

sume  to  omit  their  obeisance  when  a  superior  passes,  but  fall 
instantly  to  one  knee  and  maintain  that  posture  until  the  great 
one  is  gone. 

One  beautiful  trait  of  the  Balonda  is  their  love  for  their 
mothers.  The  more  southern  tribes  are  singularly  indiiferent  to 
those  who  give  thorn  birth  ;  these  are  not  so.  It  was  charming 
in  these  wild  savages,  their  tender  remembrance,  even  when 
burdened  themselves  with  years,  of  "mamma's  home."  How 
sad  must  be  the  lives  of  those  who  nurse  this  tender  fondness, 
wiien  they  are  torn  so  cruelly  away  by  the  wicked  hand  of  a 
trade  which  merits  their  devoutest  curses !  What  more  plain- 
tive cry  can  find  the  ear  of  Gocl  than  "O  mother!"  whispered 
sobbingly  in  the  deep,  degrading  prison-house  of  bondage? 
What  more  disastrous  blight  can  rest  on  the  life  of  man  than  a 
mother's  prayer  for  vengeance  against  him  who  robs  her  of  her 
cliild  ? 

These  people  are  poorly  supplied  with  game,  and  their  na- 
tional diet  of  manioc  has  provoked  the  anathemas  of  many  an 
African  traveller,  for  it  is  found  all  over  the  continent.  They 
are  industrious,  though,  and  intelligent.  But  while  there  are 
gods  many  and  superstition  without  measure,  the  people  must 
be  watched,  for  with  their  fears  the  doubtful  grace  of  thieving 
is  quite  developed ;  and  while  they  are  specimens  of  absolute 
honesty  if  there  are  signs  of  a  charm  about,  or  if  the  blind  eyes 
of  some  rude  deity  guards  the  treasure,  they  are  conscience  clear 
to  tiU^e  all  they  can  find  if  they  can  dodge  the  medicines  and 
the  deities. 

The  magic  lantern  produced  quite  an  excitement  in  Shinte's 
town.  The  first  picture  exhibited  was  that  of  Abraham  offering 
his  son.  The  picture,  large  as  life  and  brought  out  vividly, 
produced  a  great  effect,  and  the  story  filled  their  untutored 
minds  with  wonder  and  delight;  but  when  at  last  the  dagger 
was  seen  moving  toward  Isaac,  the  women  were  Avild  with 
fright  and  dashed  away  as  if  for  life.  Shinte  himself  was 
charmed,  and  was  deeply  interested  in  examining  the  instrument. 

The  greatest  trial  to  which  Dr.  Livingstone  was  subjected  in 
this  country  was  the  incessant  rain  ;  night  after  night  the  poor 
little  tent  was  beaten  steadily  by  the  great  dro})S,  and  the  brief 
intervals  during  the  days  could  not  remove  the  dampness.    But 


148  IRON   WORKS   IN   LONDA. 

he  was  fully  convinced  of  the  great  fertility  of  the  soil,  and  its 
adaptation  to  the  customs  and  interests  of  civilized  life.  It  may 
be  that  these  vast  plains  and  forests  are  to  become  the  store- 
houses of  the  world.  There  was  a  time  when  our  western  con- 
tinent was  as  hopelessly  benighted,  and  offered  as  small  attrac- 
tions to  the  old  world,  as  Africa  offers  now.  The  times  are  in 
God's  hand :  the  future  is  wide  and  rich  in  possibilities. 

After  spending  about  ten  days  with  Shinte,  the  travelling  party 
picked  up  their  possessions  and  resumed  their  tramp.  Among 
the  industries  which  were  noticed,  as  the  party  passed  along  the 
lovely  valley,  were  certain  native  iron  works,  for  which  the  ore 
is  obtained  in  a  range  of  splendid  hills  clothed  in  verdure 
which  wall  the  valley  on  the  east.  Indeed  it  is  a  matter  of 
deep  interest  that  this  continent,  although  so  little  known,  has 
already  revealed  such  an  abundance  of  iron  as  merits  the 
serious  consideration  of  the  world ;  and  the  natives,  though 
untrained  to  think  of  manufacture  as  a  means  of  income  or 
revenue,  have  still  acquired  much  skill  in  subjecting  this  un- 
sightly and  unwieldy  treasure  to  their  convenience.  The  Man- 
yeti,  it  may  be  remembered,  who  won  the  distinction  of  "  pirates 
of  the  Leeambye,"  were  skilful  artizans  in  iron ;  and  in 
Angola,  in  Eastern  Africa  generally,  indeed  over  the  continent, 
the  ore  is  found  in  good  qualities  and  abundant  quantities. 

The  kindness  of  Shinte  now  went  in  advance  of  the  party,  as 
that  of  Sekeletu  had  done,  and  food  was  found  in  readiness  at 
every  little  village.  Beyond  the  Leeba,  which  was  crossed  on 
the  31st  of  January,  the  route  lay  across  a  plain  not  less  than 
twenty  miles  broad,  and  travelled  some  days  wiiere  rain-water 
alone  was  standing  from  six  inches  to  some  feet  in  depth.  But 
though  all  this  region,  as  indicated  on  the  maps,  is  wonderfully 
threaded  by  streams  which  contribute  to  the  great  river  which 
flows  away  across  the  continent,  there  seem  to  be  no  fountains, 
but  these  tributaries  of  the  great  never-failing  Chobe  grow  up 
amid  the  bogs  of  the  vast  soaking  plains. 

Crossing  the  liokalneje,  the  party  encountered  the  old  friends 
so  common  on  the  rivers  of  the  Bechuanas  and  Makololc — the 
hippopotami — which  excited  the  hope  that  the  plains  and  woods 
would  soon  again  possess  the  attractions  of  animal  life  and 
afford  supplies  of  meat. 


A   CHARMING   HOME.  149 

At  the  village  of  one  Soana  ^Molopo,  they  were  a  little 
troubled  througli  the  guide  who  had  been  sent  on  from  Shinte, 
who  made  it  his  business  to  excite  in  every  chief's  mind  the  ex- 
pectation of  valuable  gifts  from  the  traveller.  At  the  home  of 
a  subject  of  Katema,  Livingstone  enjoyed  a  singular  surprise : 
this  man  Mozinkwa  possessed  intelligence  far  in  advance  of  his 
surroundings,  and  sharing  his  happiness  was  one  wife,  the 
mother  of  all  his  children.  Around  the  house  this  good  lady 
had  quite  a  crop  of  cotton ;  and  Mozinkwa's  gardens  and 
hedges  and  court-yard  showed  that  he  too  could  handle  useful 
implements.  They  had  also  a  garden  of  splendid  potatoes, 
while  some  large  shade-trees,  planted  in  the  middle  of  their 
yard,  indiaited  that  this  fine  family  sought  comfort  intelligently ; 
but  alas !  brightest  pictures  fade;  in  a  few  months  death  came — 
death  comes  to  all — death  came  and  the  mother  and  wife  whose 
faithfulness  had  been  the  joy  of  the  home  was  laid  away  in 
silence  and  darkness.  We  who  look  in  the  grave  filled  with  the 
light  of  the  cross  do  not  know  how  dark  it  is  for  the  heathen. 
After  death  has  once  crossed  a  Balonda  threshold,  the  house  has 
no  longer  any  charms  for  the  inmates,  and  the  invariable  cus- 
tom is  to  abandon  it.  This  superstitious  horror  of  death  causes 
whole  villages  and  towns  to  be  abandoned  at  the  most  unex- 
pected moment ;  within  one  week  or  month  the  town  where  a 
traveller  was  entertained  most  hospitably,  which  was  teeming 
with  happy  people,  he  may  find  desolate,  abandoned,  dreaded, 
and  avoided  even  by  the  path,  which  has  been  changeil.  A  ques- 
tion finds  the  explanation  in  the  death  of  some  chief  man.  This 
suggests  a  feature  of  Balonda  superstition  which  presents  a 
serious  barrier  to  the  gospel.  While  these  people  believe  in 
God,  and  seem  to  recognize  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  thev 
seem  almost  incapable  of  a  single  idea  of  heaven.  They  only 
think  of  the  dead  as  lingering  ahont  the  familiar  scenes  of  earth. 
They  seem  painfully  conscious  of  their  nearness.  They  cannot 
tliink  of  another  world.  Their  ignorance  holds  them  in  a  con- 
stant bondage  of  fear ;  they  think  of  the  departed  as  vindictive, 
of  their  gods  as  full  of  vengeance,  of  their  charms  as  summon- 
ing some  unknown  evil.  Indeed  in  all  heathen  lands  there  is  a 
painful  ignorance  of  love,  and  hardly  wonderful  either,  since 
only  the  poor  sinful  hearts  must  suggest  their  ideals  or  inter- 


150  POWER   OF    LOVE. 

pret  tlie  things  which  occur.  It  is  this  weariness  of  the  dread- 
ful which  makes  the  heathen  catch  so  eagerly  at  the  statement 
of  God's  love — it  is  so  new,  so  refreshing.  Because  he  is  Love, 
he  is  the  more  readily  enthroned  in  the  long  dormant  affections 
und  faith  of  the  people  just  coming  to  the  light.  It  is  not  the 
testimony  of  Dr.  Livingstone  only,  but  of  all  who  have  labored 
for  the  enlightenment  and  conversion  of  the  heathen,  that  noth- 
ing which  can  be  said  arrests  the  attention  so  quickly  and  holds 
it  so  strongly  as  the  story  of  the  cross.  It  is  all  idle  to  go 
about  pulling  down  the  idols :  we  need  only  set  up  the  crucified 
0;ie  over  against  them,  and  they  shall  fall  of  themselves,  out  of 
the  relaxing  fears  and  confidence  which  have  been  banished  by 
the  goodness  and  won  by  the  love  of  the  true  and  gracious. 

Intemese,  the  guide  furnished  by  Shinte,  occasioned  the  party 
no  little  delay  by  his  petty  stubbornness  and  strategies,  which  he 
])ractised  in  order  to  prolong  their  stay  within  the  boundaries  of 
his  commission  as  guide,  because  he  found  that  position  a  fat 
)>lacc  owing  to  the  liberal  orders  of  his  master.  It  was  a  piece 
of  this  strategy  M'hich  led  his  charge  apart  from  the  prope*  • 
route  toward  the  town  of  Katema  to  that  of  his  father-in-lav  . 
This  gentleman  was  named  Quendende,  a  fine  old  man  as  it 
turned  out,  and  one  who  entertained  them  over  a  Sunday  with 
real  kindness  and  pleasure. 

He  had  just  returned  from  a  funeral  of  one  of  his  people 
when  the  visitors  arrived.  Few  things  in  savage  life  are  of 
more  singular  interest  than  the  ceremonies  of  burial.  The 
reader  may  recall  very  singular  customs  of  certain  Indians, 
with  whose  habits  most  of  them  are  more  or  less  familiar.  The 
Mandans,  for  instance,  take  the  body  of  their  dead,  and  having 
clothed  it  in  his  best  robes  and  ornaments,  furnish  it  with  many 
articles  which  are  supposed  most  desirable,  and  wrajjping  the 
whole  carefully  in  soft  wet  hides,  place  the  precious  burden  on 
a  scaffold  some  feet  high.  In  the  course  of  time  the  scaffold 
falls;  then  the  relatives  assemble  and  bury  the  remains,  except 
the  skull ;  this  they  place  on  the  ground,  where  there  are  per- 
haps a  hundred  skulls  in  a  circle,  all  looking  inward.  About 
this  place  of  the  skulls  the  women  are  oi\en  seen,  sitting  with 
their  work  for  hours  at  a  time,  holding  in  their  laps  the  skull 
of  a  dead  child,  and  not  unfre(piently  they  are  seen  to  clasp 


BURTAT.   OF   THE    DEAD.  153 

these  skulls  in  their  arms  aucl  lie  down  talking  as  if  to  a  living 
child,  until  they  fall  asleep. 

The  Sioux,  of  whom  we  hear  so  much,  wrap  their  dead  in 
skins  and  loilge  in  the  branches  of  trees;  never  forgetting  to 
place  a  wooden  dish  near  the  head,  that  the  friend  may  quench 
his  thirst  in  the  long  journey  he  is  supposed  to  have  begun. 

Among  the  Patagonians  the  dead  are  frequently  reduced  to 
skeletons  before  burial,  and  are  washed  and  arrayed  in  new 
clothing  once  a  year.  The  bodies,  while  being  prepared,  are 
laid  on  platforms  and  guarded  by  the  relatives,  who,  dressed 
in  long  robes,  strike  the  ground  continually  with  spears  or 
staves,  and  keep  up  a  mournful  song  to  drive  away  the  spirits, 
who  tlicy  fear  are  unfriendly  to  the  dead. 

The  Dahomans,  with  all  their  cruelty  and  carelessness  of 
human  life,  always  hold  an  inquest  over- the  dead,  because,  per- 
haps, the  king  reserves  it  as  his  privilege  to  do  all  the  killing. 
If  the  inquest  finds  the  man  to  have  died  a  natural  death,  his 
friends  are  allowed  to  begin  their  mourning,  during  which  they 
may  not  Avash,  but  may  eat  and  drink  to  intemperance  if  they 
please.  When  the  coffin  is  ready  the  body  is  clothed  in  the  best 
attire  and  furnished  with  a  complete  outfit  for  a  change  when 
he  reaches  the  spirit  land,  and  the  burial  takes  place. 

The  Bechuanas,  among  whom  Livingstone  spent  the  earlier 
years  in  Africa,  begin  the  funeral  service  before  death  has  really 
occurred.  As  soon  as  the  relatives  of  a  sick  man  are  satisfied 
that  his  end  is  near  they  throw  a  mat  or  skin  over  him,  and 
draw  it  together  until  the  poor  creature  is  forced  into  a  crouch- 
ing posture,  with  the  arms  bent,  the  head  bowed  and  the  chin 
upon  the  knees.  In  this  agonizing  position  the  last  spark  of 
life  is  allowed  to  expire.  The  body  is  then  borne  to  the  cattle- 
pen,  where  the  grave  is  Avaiting,  and  deposited  in  a  sitting  pos- 
ture, exactly  facing  the  north.  The  next  o{)eration  is  to  pack 
the  finest  clay  tightly  and  carefully  about  the  body,  until  the 
earth  reaches  the  mouth  ;  then  a  few  pieces  of  acacia  and  some 
roots  of  grass  are  placed  on  the  head,  so  that  a  few  green  twigs 
may  be  above  the  ground.  The  slight  mound  is  then  raised, 
and  when  completed  a  few  bowlfuls  of  water  are  poured  over  it, 
Avhile  the  spectators  shout  as  if  applauding.  The  last  scene  at 
the  grave  is  the  women  pouring  out  their  bitter  lamentations. 


154  SUNDAY   WITH    QUENDENDE. 

The  Baloncla,  whose  custom  suggested  this  digression,  are 
affected  more  deeply  than  many  others  on  such  occasions,  be- 
cause of  their  singular  superstitions  which  hold  them  in  dread 
of  the  departed.  Their  funerals  are  occasions  of  great  expense 
and  great  confusion.  Great  feasts  are  spread,  and  during  the 
ceremonies  there  is  kept  up  a  clamor  in  which  all  seem  striving 
for  mastery.  There  are  loud,  piercing  cries  ;  drums  are  beaten 
with  measured,  solemn  beats,  and  if  there  are  guns  they  are 
fired.  All  night  long  this  wild  scene  continues,  and  is  consid- 
ered the  highest  honor  possible  to  be  rendered.  Indeed,  it  is 
more  the  amount  of  noise  than  the  perfection  of  melody  which 
delights  the  savage.  We  can  hardly  dwell  on  such  accounts 
without  deepest  sympathy.  How  sweet  are  the  Christian  ideas 
of  death  !  How  sacred  and  precious  are  the  spots  where  we  laid 
our  loved  ones,  hoping,  with  our  e^es  on  the  star  of  Bethlehem, 
whose  gentle  beams  were  falling  on  the  mound !  How  eagerly 
vre  should  hasten  with  the  precious  truths  that  may  be  so  help- 
ful and  rejoicing  to  the  hearts  of  heathen  !  But  if  Dr.  Living- 
stone allowed  his  thoughts  to  wander  so  long — there  is  no 
question  whether  old  Quendende  thought  him  queer — Sunday 
afforded  good  time  for  the  ever-faithful  and  diligent  man  of 
God  to  present  the  great  teachings  of  the  Bible  to  his  friendly 
host.  But  it  is  almost  impossible  to  gain  the  credence  of  the 
Balonda  for  the  ideas  of  heaven  or  hell.  They  invariably  meet 
all  advances  on  the  subject  by  saying  in  effect:  "We  do  not  go 
up  to  God  as  you  do ;  we  are  put  into  the  ground." 

The  country  was  becoming  beautiful  again  ;  the  valleys  and 
hills  were  clothed  with  lovely  growth,  and  supported  herds  of 
buffaloes,  elands,  koodoo  and  various  antelopes ;  and  the  little 
villages  which  were  constantly  appearing  were  cheering  indi- 
cations of  industry  and  happiness.  Even  in  Africa  it  is  inter- 
esting to  observe  the  gradual  improvement  in  the  general 
appearance  of  the  country  as  the  towns  of  the  great  chiefs  are 
approached,  just  as  a  corresponding  improvement  is  manifest  in 
the  neighborhood  of  our  larger  cities. 

It  was  about  the  middle  of  February  when  Livingstone  and 
his  followers  crossed  the  Lotembwa  and  passed  on  to  the  town 
of  Katema.  They  were  not  assigned  a  hut,  as  would  have  been 
the  case  among  the  INIakoIolo,  or  a  roof,  as  would  have  been  the 


KATEMA    IX   STATE.  155 

case  iu  Shinte's  neighborhood,  but  were  led  out  to  the  shelter 
of  some  large  trees,  where  they  might  provide  their  rcsting- 
j)laces  themselves.  But  Katema  did  not  forget  the  claims  of 
the  stranger  on  his  hospitality  entirely,  for  after  a  little  time 
there  came  a  handsome  present  of  food,  which  was  vastly  more 
important  than  huts  or  roofs. 

On  the  following  day  Dr.  Livingstone  was  honored  with  a 
public  reception,  as  he  had  been  at  Shinte's  town.  The  cere- 
monies of  this  reception,  too,  greatly  resembled  those  of  the 
former.  Katema  was  found  to  be  a  good-humored,  well-fed 
looking  man,  and  one  who  enjoyed  a  hearty  laugh  amazingly. 
He  rode  into  the  kotla  mounted  on  the  shoulders  of  an  active, 
muscular  young  man,  who  moved  along  qnite  easily  with  his 
heavy  weight  of  dignity.  One  striking  element  of  this  chief- 
tain's character  was  his  vanity ;  he  could  never  be  done  with  his 
self-praise.  But  he  was  generous  and  wise.  When  Intemese 
had  given  his  statement,  Katema  placed  sixteen  large  baskets 
of  meal,  half  a  dozen  fowls  and  a  dozen  eggs  before  his  guest, 
and,  remarking  that  he  did  not  wish  a  stranger  to  be  hungry  in 
his  town,  said:  "Go  home  and  cook  and  eat;  you  will  then  be 
in  a  fit  state  to  speak  with  me  at  an  audience  which  I  will  give 
you  to-morrow."  But  tall,  vigorous  man  as  he  was,  so  genial 
and  courteous,  he  was  subject  to  the  same  degrading  supersti- 
tions which  were  seen  in  the  humbler  people  of  his  country. 

During  the  entire  interview  with  Dr.  Livingstone,  he  sat 
waving  a  large  bunch  of  gnus'  tails  between  himself  and  the 
white  man,  as  a  protection  against  any  charms  which  might  be 
employed  against  him.  This  man  was  really  the  younger 
brother,  and  held  his  position  as  chief  of  the  tribe  more  by  his 
wisdom  and  kindness  than  of  right.  His  brother  was  unkind 
and  foolishly  alienated  his  own  people,  and  prejudiced  the  sub- 
jects of  neighboring  tribes.  Katema  gradually  took  possession 
of  the  hearts  of  the  people,  and  gathered  with  them  great 
numbers  of  refugees  from  other  tribes,  until  he  became  the 
greater  chief,  and  boasted  of  being  the  equal  of  Matiamvo  him- 
self. He  did  not  exhibit  the  covetousness  which  had  been  so 
annoying  in  some  other  towns,  but  received  quite  gracefully 
the  few  little  things  which  Livingstone  was  able  to  present. 

L^nlike  their  southern  neighbors,  the  Balonda  are  singularly 


156  BIRDS   AXD    BEASTS 

destitute  of  herds,  and  tliongh  tliey  manifest  the  highest  appre- 
ciation of  cattle,  and  possess  a  land  admirably  adapted  to  pas- 
turage, they  have  not  learned  to  domesticate  the  few  cows  they 
have.  Katema  owned  about  thirty  head,  but  could  only  possess 
himself  of  the  meat  by  hunting  it  as  he  would  a  buffalo  or  an 
antelope,  and  was  astonished  when  he  was  told  how  he  might 
appropriate  the  milk. 

It  is  pleasant  to  think  of  men  so  far  from  the  refinements  of 
civilization  finding  real  delight  in  the  charming  little  melodies 
of  the  tiny  canary  bird.  All  about  in  Katema's  country  these 
charming  little  creatures  were  found  in  neat  little  cages, 
treasured  fondly  by  the  dark  savages,  "  because  they  sing  so 
sweetly."  Perhaps  it  is  the  gratuitous  tutelage  of  the  wonderful 
choristers  of  their  lovely  forest  homes  which  develops  this 
delicate  love  of  gentle  music,  for  the  birds  are  on  every  bough, 
twittering  and  singing  as  merrily  as  can  be.  But  there  are  no 
ravenous  beasts :  you  know  they  cannot  dwell  M'ith  birds ;  there 
seems  to  be  no  sympathy  between  the  voice  of  song  and  wile' 
passions,  even  beyond  the  habitations  of  men.  We  wonder 
naturally  whether  the  monsters  of  the  wood  fly  from  the  sight 
of  innocence  and  glee — whether  sanguinary  instincts  are  in 
evitably  rebuked  by  music.  Bolder  cruelty  among  men  has 
sometimes  mightiest  resistance  in  the  pure  sweet  prattle  of  help- 
lessness. You  remember  it  was  a  child  playing  by  the  brooklet, 
tossing  white  pebbles  into  it,  and  laughing  at  its  babbling, 
which  broke  the  crusts  of  carelessness  and  crime,  and  mcl]owe<l 
the  heart  of  one  long  thoughtless  of  mercy  or  justice,  and  hung 
upon  his  eyelids  a  tear  distilled  of  penitence,  which  heaven 
received  in  redemption  of  its  favors  so  long  despised.  But 
there  are  meaner  shapes  of  evil  which  whet  their  appetites  for 
crime  on  the  sight  of  weakness  and  innocence:  they  are  the 
venomous  spiders  of  society,  who  sclieme,  and  watch,  and  wait? 
and  hide;  their  hate  and  harm  is  by  strategy  and  obscurity. 
Boldness  redeems  even  crime  from  our  contempt,  who  despise 
the  mean  malice  which  we  only  dread  because  we  cannot  see  it. 
Human  spiders  weave  their  webs  where  human  lions  would  blush 
to  roar.  Human  nature  has  its  types  in  lower  orders  of  life,  and 
among  creatures  of  instinct  only,  as  among  those  of  thought. 
The  sunniest  bowers  where  sweetest  gladness  dwells  reveal  the 


"a  plague  ox  the  spidek."  157 

beautiful  deceits  of  the  cunning  foe  of  weakest  life.  The 
lovely  groves,  redolent  with  the  melodies  of  the  various  song- 
sters, wear  also  the  subtile  drapery  of  the  spiders,  weaving. 
And  the  poor  traveller  must  be  suddenly  recalled  from  the 
meditations  of  the  place,  must  have  his  thoughts  rudely  dragged 
from  their  free  altitude  of  pleasure,  by  the  quick,  light,  blood- 
curdling tramp  across  his  brow,  or  the  sudden,  sharp,  painful, 
imperceptible  wound  on  his  hand,  to  frighten  the  canary  which 
had  charmed  him,  by  crying,  "A  plague  on  the  spider!  "  The 
first  advances  in  the  groves  of  Ivatema  which  were  made  by 
these  venomous  insects  were  in  the  night,  and  the  self-introduc- 
tion w^as  acutely  painful.  This  spider  was  found  to  be  light- 
colored  and  about  half  an  inch  in  length.  One  of  the  ugliest 
of  the  creatures  is  a  black  individual,  with  long  hair,  about  ai\ 
inch  and  a  quarter  long,  and  three  quarters  of  an  inch  broad. 
A  large  reddish  spider  is  seen  as  if  in  great  excitement  running 
with  wonderful  velocity  in  and  out,  before  and  behind,  around 
and  over  everything.  It  dwells  in  a  hole,  and  has  an  in- 
geniously contrived  door  which  moves  on  hinges,  and  Avhen 
closed  completely  covers  and  obscures  the  hole.  Nearly  all  the 
species  have  beautiful  webs,  and  disj^lay  great  ingenuity  in  so 
adjusting  them  as  to  entrap  the  unwary  victims  of  their  desire 
most  readily. 

The  pleasantness,  however,  and  healthfulness  of  the  country 
were  not  enough  to  prevent  the  return  of  fever,  and  before  the 
time  for  the  departure  from  Katema  had  arrived,  Livingstone 
was  again  a  sufferer  by  this  enemy,  more  subtle  than  the  spider 
and  stronger  than  the  lion.  The  winter  time  had  come,  but  the 
thermometer  was  at  90°,  and  he  could  only  toss  about  in  his 
tattered  tent.  He  was  tossing  so  all  day  on  the  19th,  but  on 
the  morning  of  the  20th,  he  and  his  faithful  band  had  their 
friendly  parting  with  Katema  and  his  pcojile.  Livingstone  liad 
not  been  able  to  make  much  impression  on  this  vain  chief 
about  the  Bible.  It  is  the  experience  of  all  missionaries  that 
the  results  are  painfully  small  when  all  must  be  said  through 
one  or  two  careless  and  lazy  interpreters,  who  themselves  care 
nothing  whatever  about  that  which  they  are  saying.  But  the 
chief  had  furnishe<l  guides  for  the  way  before  them,  and  they 
might  proceed  confidently,  if  rather  sadly.     The  heroism  of  Dr. 


158  TRADITION   OF   DILOLO. 

Livingstone  was  conspicuous  now,  as  always,  when  there  was 
anything  to  endure  or  to  dare.  A  burning  fever — liaving  eaten 
nothing  for  two  days — attended  only  by  savages — he  presses 
away  into  the  wilderness  as  cheerfully  and  resolutely  as  he  en- 
tered it  long  before  from  Cape  Town.  Alwut  six  miles  north- 
west from  Katema's,  they  came  to  Lake  Dilolo,  the  subject  of 
a  tradition  which  occurred  to  Dr.  Livingstone  as  possibly  a 
faint,  lingering  hint  of  the  deluge.  "  It  is  said  that  a  long 
time  ago  a  village  stood  on  the  spot  which  is  now  covered  by 
the  lake,  and  that  a  female  chief,  named  Monenga,  one  day  came 
to  the  village  and  asked  the  wife  of  the  chief  man  for  some  food, 
but  was  refused,  and  taunted  with  her  helplessness  by  the 
woman,  whereupon  the  Monenga  began  a  song  in  slow  time, 
and  uttered  her  own  name — Monenga-w-o-e.  As  she  finished  the 
kist  note,  the  village,  houses,  people,  fowls,  dogs,  evej'ything, 
sank  into  the  space  now  called  Dilolo." 

It  only  required  a  few  days  to  carry  the  party  beyond  the 
dominion  of  Katema.  They  were  about  the  turning  point  of 
the  waters,  too,  and  the  rivers  were  now  running  northward. 
They  were  going  somewhat  west  of  north,  and  were  getting 
among  people  who  are  much  more  frequently  visited  by  the 
Mambari  merchants  than  the  more  central  tribes  are.  Living- 
stone found  also  that  the  people  had  a  much  stronger  confidence 
in  the  belief  of  the  continued  existence  of  departed  spirits  than 
the  more  southern  inhabitants  of  the  continent.  The  idea  of 
buying  and  selling,  too,  began  to  take  the  place  of  giving. 
Everybody  wanted  gunpowder  or  English  calico,  for  the  knowl- 
edge of  money  had  not  reached  them,  the  Mambari  using  only 
barter  in  all  their  transactions. 

On  the  27th  of  February  they  were  on  the  banks  of  a  beauti- 
fiil  river,  which  reminded  the  traveller  of  his  own  lovely  Clyde 
in  Scotland — the  Kasai.  The  chief  in  the  neighborhood,  named 
Kangenke,  had  furnished  guides  quite  readily,  and  the  men 
were  quite  full  of  praise  of  their  river.  "Though  you  sail 
along  it  for  months,"  said  they,  "you  will  turn  without  seeing 
the  end  of  it."  Now,  for  the  first  time  in  all  his  long  journey. 
Dr.  I^ivingstone  began  to  be  troubled  by  petty  meannesses  and 
resistances  and  taxes  and  suggestions  of  violence.  The  people 
of  Kangenke  practised  on  his  party  a  trick  for  which  they  are 


"a  man"  demanded.  159 

notorious.     One  of  them  placed  his  knife  where  he  felt  satisfied 
that  one  of  the  party  would  pick  it  up,  and  sure  enough  a  young 
man  did  pick  it  up,  supposing  that  he  had  found  it,  and  put  it 
in  a  basket.      The  rascal  who  had   planned  the  affair  of  course 
knew  that  it  had  been  picked  up,  and  waiting  until  the  i)artj 
had  divided— a  part  having  crossed  tlie  river  in  their  canoes- 
he  came  forward,  charging  that  some  one  of  the  party  had 
stolen  his  knife.     A  search  of  course  found  the  lost  property, 
and  the  finding  of  it  afforded  a  chance  to  impose  a  fine  befbrc 
they  would  allow  tiiose  still  on  the  side  of  the  river  with  tlicra 
to  cross.     At  the  village  of  Katende,  also,  on  the  29th,  Living- 
stone was  called  on  to  pay  a  fine  for  passing  through  the  coun- 
try.    This  demand  was  stoutly  resisted.     Indeed,  it  is  sadly 
apparent  that  these  creatures  have  felt  just  enough  of  the  in- 
fluence of  the  outside  world  to  make  them  the  most  unprincipled 
thieves  and  extortioners.     The  wild  animals,  too,  have  fled  from 
this  region,  and  there  was  no  possibility  of  obtaining  food  except 
at  the  hands  of  these  ungenerous  chiefs.     Hungry  and  weary, 
receiving  no  hospitality,  undiverted  by  even  the  welcome  daiv^ 
gers  of  wild  beasts,  the  devoted  man  was  hardly  able  to  appre- 
ciate the  splendid  plains  and  valleys  along  which  their  journey 
lay. 

At  the  first  village  of  the  Chiboque  the  coolness  and  courage 
of  Dr.  Livingstone  was  put  to  a  severe  trial.     The  chief  of  the 
town,  after   making  very  gracious  promises,   and    pretending 
much  sympathy  with    the  enterprise  of  the   expedition,  sud- 
denly sent  a  demand  for  a  slave  or  an  ox  as  tribute  for  the 
privilege  of  passing  through  the  country.     And  about  midday 
the  chief  Njambi,  having  collected   his  people,  suddenly  sur- 
rounded  the  camp   of    Livingstone   to    enforce   his   demand. 
There  is  hardly  an  expression  for  our  admiration  of  that  won- 
derful man,  experiencing  in  his  heart  Christlike  feelings  of  j)ity 
and  love  for  these  wild  men  ;  sitting  quietly  on  his  camp-stoJl 
in  front  of  his  tent,  parleying  with  this  wild  and  wicked  chief. 
The  surrounding  party  would  frequently  aim  their  guns  at  him 
and  wave  their  swords  and  spears.     Sometimes  it  seemed  impos- 
sible but  that  a  terrible  fight  must  occur.     The  noble  band  of 
Makololo  were  true  as  could  be,  and  carried  themselves  as  men 
who  had  rather  a  fondness  for  such  sport.     It  will  be  remem- 


160  A   FIGHT   AVOIDED. 

bered  that  these  men  had  been  soldiers  under  the  great  chief 
Sebituane,  who  witli  his  own  hand  beheaded  any  man  who 
dared  to  turn  his  back  in  battle.  They  were  trained  to  courage, 
and  it  was  Livingstone's  full  conviction  that  they  would  have 
proven  victorious  over  twice  as  many  Chiboque  as  now  appeared 
against  them,  though  only  twenty-six  in  number.  At  last, 
when  nothing  else  would  do.  Dr.  Livingstone  informed  the 
chief  that  he  must  decide  the  question  himself,  and  assume  the 
entire  responsibility  if  there  was  to  be  fighting.  For  himself,  he 
wished  to  pass  over  God's  ground  in  peace ;  but  if  he  was  not 
allowed  to  do  so,  he  should  certainly  defend  himself  and  people 
against  any  enemy.  This  cool  talk  seemed  to  impress  the  chief 
men  that  the  business  they  had  undertaken  was  to  be  quite 
serious,  and  they  began  talking  more  reasonably.  As  the  result 
of  the  interview,  however,  Dr.  Livingstone  gave  an  ox,  trusting 
tliereby  to  gain  as  much  in  moral  influence  as  he  might  sacrifice 
of  their  much-needed  supplies  of  food.  While  journeying  along 
the  forest  paths,  drenched  with  rain  and  now  and  then  swim- 
ming the  streams,  terrible  fevers  again  set  in.  Added  to  the 
already  severe  trials  that  of  an  almost  wandering  mind,  the 
guides  from  place  to  place  were  now  almost  useless,  and  gave 
much  more  trouble  by  their  foolish  and  outrageous  demands  of 
presents  than  would  have  resulted  from  their  entire  absence. 
But  the  bitterest  of  all,  about  the  12th  of  March,  not  far  from 
the  scene  of  the  difficulty  with  the  Chiboque,  there  appeared  a 
disposition  to  mutiny  in  some  of  his  own  party,  which  proceeded 
so  far  that  the  missionary  was  near  sending  a  few  balls  through 
the  heads  of  the  troublesome  individuals.  Every  step  of  the 
way  now  was  combated  for  against  extortions,  threatened  war 
from  the  tribes,  complaints  of  his  followers,  and  fevers  which 
seemed  to  feed  on  the  anxieties  of  the  occasion.  Perha})s  the 
most  terribly  trying  hour  of  the  whole  journey  was  in  the  little 
worn-out  tent  at  the  encampment  near  the  village  of  longa- 
Panza,  who  had  acted  with  the  most  unpardonable  disregard  of 
truth  and  manliness.  The  sufferings  of  the  men  since  leaving 
Katema's  territory  had  been  so  great  and  so  constant,  everything 
had  seemed  to  resist  the  progress  of  the  party  so  bitterly,  that 
the  followers  of  Livingstone  became  thoroughly  disheartened, 
and  they  began  to  discuss  the  wisdom  of  going  back  home. 


THE   GREATEST   TRIAL.  161 

The  borders  of  the  Portuguese  settlement  were  almost  at  hand. 
The  grand  object  for  wliich  the  wonderful  man  had  toiled  and 
suffered  during  nearly  two  years,  in  which  he  had  wandered 
amidst  the  perils  of  wilds  where  no  white  man  had  ever  ven- 
tured, was  almost  accomplished.  The  highway  for  civilization 
and  truth  was  almost  open.  And  now  the  thought  of  abandon- 
ing all  and  going  back.  It  was  enough  to  overcome  him  in  his 
best  and  most  vigorous  days.  It  could  not  be,  it  should  not  be 
he  was  determined,  and  after  using  all  his  powers  of  persuasion 
he  declared  to  them  that  though  they  returned  he  should  cjo  on 
alone.  The  great  man  retired  into  his  little  tent  and  cast  his 
eyes  toward  God  for  help.  They  loved  him  too  strongly, 
though,  those  friends  of  the  year  of  trial.  Soon  they  began  to 
gather  about  him,  vowing  that  they  would  die  before  they 
would  forsake  him;  they  would  go  with  him  anywhere;  "they 
had  only  spoken  in  the  bitterness  of  their  spirits,  and  feeling 
that  the}'-  could  do  nothing."  After  this  they  were  themselves 
again,  ready  for  any  toil,  for  any  danger;  and  were  frequently 
overheard,  when  threatened  by  enemies,  saying  to  each  other, 
"  That  is  just  what  we  Nvant ;  let  them  begin,"  They  seemed 
really  anxious  to  reassure  their  "father,"  as  they  called  Dr. 
Livingstone,  of  their  love  and  courage. 

Although  they  were  now  so  near  the  borders  of  the  Portu- 
guese settlement,  the  natives  seemed  singularly  ignorant  of 
white  men,  and  the  straight  hair  of  Livingstone  was  almost  as 
much  a  curiosity  as  it  had  been  far  back  in  the  interior.  The 
Mambari  do  nearly  all  the  trading  between  the  whites  along  the 
coasts  and  the  more  central  tribes,  so  that  even  where  there  ai*e 
found  many  articles  of  European  manufacture  there  is  the  same 
absolute  ignorance  of  the  sort  of  people  who  make  the  wonderful 
things. 

It  was  the  4th  of  April  when  the  party  reached  the  banks  of 
the  Quango,  which  bounds  the  territory  of  the  Bangala,  who 
are  the  subjects  of  the  Portuguese.  On  the  east  side  they  were 
still  in  the  country  of  the  Bashange,  the  last  of  the  border 
tribes,  and  were  suffering  every  form  of  extortion.  They  were 
determined  to  make  Livingstone  pay  for  his  passage  over  the 
river  by  giving  them  one  of  his  men  to  be  a  slave  ;  while  any- 
body who  has  followed  the  life  history  of  the  man  to  this  point 


162  TvEST    AT    LAST. 

h  assured  that  he  would  have  died  a  thousand  times,  if  possible, 
before  he  would  have  complied  with  such  a  demand.  'At  length 
a  young  officer  of  the  Portuguese  militia,  Cypriano  di  Abruo, 
made  his  appearance,  and  by  his  assistance  the  whole  party  were 
soon  beyond  the  reach  of  the  impositions  and  difficulties  which 
had  made  their  whole  experience  with  the  border  tribes  one  of 
bitter  anxiety  and  Avant.  No  wonder  they  passed  so  gladly 
along  through  the  tall,  waving  grass,  in  the  footsteps  of  the 
generous  and  friendly  half-caste  sergeant.  And  it  was  a  lighter 
heart  which  beat  in  the  little  tattered  tent  that  night,  as  it  stood 
in  front  of  Cypriano's  house,  than  had  been  in  it  for  a  long,  long 
time.  And  oh  how  thankfully  the  man  of  God,  now  almost 
ready  to  fall  under  the  weight  of  his  labor  for  Christ  and  souls, 
turned  his  eyes  back  on  the  great  hidden  world  which  he  had 
partly  found  out  and  hastened  now  to  make  known ;  and  for- 
ward to  the  anxious,  waiting  brotherhood  in  Jesus,  who  would 
be  glad  to  follow  the  thread  of  his  journeys  through  those 
wildernesses  with  light  and  truth ! 

We  will  believe  that  he  rested  sweetly  that  night,  and  that 
the  attending  angel  guard,  which  formed  the  nearer  circle 
around  him,  looked  on  lovingly  and  with  respect,  and  wondered 
that  weak  men,  for  love's  sake  only,  should  so  endure  and  toil. 

The  little  village  where  the  weary  traveller  had  spread  his 
storm-beaten  tent  so  joyfully  on  the  evening  of  the  4th  of  April 
was  very  far  from  being  such  a  one  as  our  imaginations  might 
the  more  readily  picture,  in  contrast  with  the  darkness  and 
degradation  of  barbarism.  Angola,  you  must  remember,  is  only 
an  out-stat]on  of  enlightenment ;  but  it  is  in  the  care  of  the  Portu- 
guese government,  and  its  mongrel  population  have  many  of 
the  ideas  and  customs  inseparable  from  the  comfort  of  those  who 
have  been  accustomed  to  the  feelings  of  security  and  fellowship 
which  legal  government  and  enlightened  society  inspire.  After 
so  many  months  of  anxiety  and  caution,  the  pleasure  of  slee])ing 
under  the  authority  of  civilization,  though  absolutely  in  the  hut 
of  a  heathen,  was  an  inexpressibly  precious  })rivilege.  The 
small  cluster  of  neat,  square  houses,  with  the  gronps  of  half- 
caste  Portuguese  standing  about,  the  whole  nearly  hidden  in  the 
tall,  waving  grass  which  fringes  tlic  Quango  on  the  west  bank, 
was  the  scene  of  our  friend  Cypriano's  dignity.     In  even  such 


^^^2-^"^;^=5=^_^    ' 


PORTUGUESE   POLICY.  1(35 

society,  and  in  so  insignificant  a  suburb  of  civilization,  Dr. 
Livingstone's  condition  excited  wonder  and  pity.  AVasted  by 
sickness  and  staggering  with  fatigue,  sun-scorched  and  ragged, 
whoever  had  dreamed  of  the  habits  and  comforts  of  wliite  men 
in  their  own  h'ght-favored  and  love-cheered  lands  would  natur- 
ally wonder,  and  pity  him  and  honor  him.  Cypriano  was  an 
officer  in  the  Portuguese  militia,  and  was  in  command  of  the 
little  post  on  the  border.  lie  received  his  guest  with  great 
cordiality,  and  treated  him  with  most  careful  respect  and  kindness 
during  the  few  days  of  his  sojourn  with  him.  He  was  possibly 
a  very  favorable  specimen  of  the  half-caste  population  which 
composes  so  important  a  portion  of  Angola  society.  These 
people  furnish  the  large  proportion  of  traders  who  jienetrate  the 
"  regions  beyond."  They  retain,  of  course,  many  of  the  features 
of  the  tribe  from  which  they  are  partly  sprung;  the  dark  shade 
and  the  unquestionable  wool  are  marks  which  decide  their  negro 
origin.  Their  Portuguese  fathers,  however,  secured  them  the 
advantage  of  education,  and  what  advantage  may  be  in  the 
name  of  Catholic. 

The  Portuguese  policy  at  Loanda  has  been  very  unlike  the 
English  on  the  Cape,  and  in  some  respects  much  wiser  and 
gentler.  The  English  have  encouraged  an  overbearing  spirit 
jn  their  subjects.  The  Portuguese  have  recognized  the  proba- 
bility that  the  white  trader  will  be  tempted  to  oppress  the 
natives,  and  refuse  to  punish  the  community  or  tribe  where 
one  of  these  traders  is  killed.  This  naturally  makes  the  whites 
cautious,  and  while  it  lias  not  been  enough  to  confine  them  at 
Loanda,  has  led  to  the  employment  of  natives  and  half-castes 
for  trading  with  remoter  tribes. 

Dr.  Livingstone  reached  Cassange,  the  most  eastern  station  of 
the  Portuguese^  on  the  12th.  He  was  received  at  the  house  of 
Captain  Nevis,  who  not  only  entertained  him  very  kindly  and 
generously  but  provided  also  for  his  followers.  There  was  a 
feature  of  this  settlement  which  impressed  Dr.  Livingstone  that 
these  Portuguese  can  never  be  successful  colonists.  That  fea- 
ture was  the  entire  absence  of  European  women.  The  gentle- 
men come  with  no  idea  of  remaining  any  longer  than  may  be 
necessary  for  the  accumulation  of  some  money.  They  generally 
have  taken  natiTC  women  into  the  temporary  dignity  of  wives, 


166  WONDERFUL   VALLEV. 

and  unhesitatingly  recognize  the  offspring  of  these  unions  a<j 
equals,  and  not  uncommonly  commit  to  them  the  most  impor- 
tant trusts. 

The  village  of  Cassange  is  about  half  way  from  the  Quango, 
across  the  splendid  valley  -which  is  waiting  to  become  a  granary 
for  the  world.  "This  valley  is  pcrha})s  a  hundred  miles  wide; 
clothed  with  dark  forests,  except  where  the  tall  grass  covers  the 
meadow  land  along  the  Quango,  which  here  and  there  glances 
out  in  the  sun  as  it  wends  its  way  northward."  It  is  the  vast 
reality  of  which  the  traveller  said  the  view  of  the  Clyde,  from 
the  spot  whence  ]Mary  Queen  of  Scots  witnessed  the  battle  of 
Langside,  is  a  miniature.  The  valley  was  entered  on  the  30th 
of  INIarch,  by  descending  a  precipitous  path  from  the  table  land, 
which  stood  behind  them  now  in  the  distance  like  a  wall.  The 
eastern  half  of  the  valley  is  the  home  of  border  tribes,  who  have 
learned  meanness  and  cruelty  from  their  imperfect  acquaintance 
with  white  people.  The  western  half  is  the  frontier  of  the 
Portuguese,  with  Cassange  for  its  principal  town. 

Of  course  we  could  not  expect  that  such  a  station  should  have 
anything  of  ardiitectural  beauty.  The  houses  were  built  of 
M'attle  and  daub;  but  they  were  surrounded  by  considerable 
plantations  of  manioc  and  maize,  and  furnished  with  gardens 
where  many  different  European  vegetables  grew  splendidly, 
and  both  native  and  imported  fruits  rewarded  the  almost  care- 
Jess  efforts  of  the  people.  The  Makololo,  too,  were  delighted  to 
find  here  that  ivory  commanded  greatly  better  prices  than  they 
had  dreamed  of  in  their  own  coiuitry.  They  had  been  accus- 
tomed to  sell  two  tusks  for  one  gun,  so  that  their  surprise  and 
delight  were  almost  amusing  when  they  saw  their  leader  receive 
for  one  tusk  "two  muskets,  three  small  barrels  of  gunpowder, 
and  Knglisii  calico  and  baize  enough  to  clothe  the  whole  l^rty, 
besides  large  bunches  of  beads." 

Many  of  these  trading  villages  are  to  be  found  in  this  broad 
valley,  and  the  native  Portuguese  in  them  generally  become  ric-h 
in  a  very  few  years. 

Livingstone  needed  to  quiet  often -recurring  anxieties  in  the 
breasts  of  his  Makololo  as  they  drew  nearer  the  coast.  "Jlieir 
confidence  in  him  was  stronger  than  their  fears,  however;  and 
though  they  were  cautioned  by  some  that  the  white  people  were 


^  I    Hill  In    i  iiiiiiiiiiijiiill 


THE    "end    of   the    WORLD."  169 

cannibals,  and  by  others  that  Livhigstone  intended  to  make 
slaves  of  them,  they  followed  him  trustingly  and  lovingly  as  his 
children,  as  they  called  themselves. 

Having  been  kindly  provided  with  a  guide  by  the  com- 
mander at  Cassange,  the  party  resumed  their  journey  on  the 
21st  of  April,  and  going  twenty  miles  stood  at  the  foot  of  the 
Tola  Mungongo,  which  is  the  western  wall  of  this  wonderful 
valley,  and  after  an  hour  of  climbing  were  again  on  a  lofty  table 
land,  from  which  they  could  look  back  a  hundred  miles  to  the 
borders  of  Londa.  Geologists  may  find  here,  if  they  wish,  a 
problem.  They  may  undertake  to  tell  the  world  how  long  ago 
it  was  when  this  broad  chasm  did  not  exist,  but  Tola  Mun- 
gohgo  and  Masamba  Ridge  were  one.  But  while  the  scientists 
are  making  their  calculations,  the  world  will  move  on,  and  his- 
tory will  be  growing  about  these  strange,  wild  cliffs,  and  nations 
succeeding  each  other  on  table  lands  and  valleys.  The  journey 
to  Loanda  was  attended  now  with  only  such  delays  as  the  kind- 
ness of  the  Portuguese  at  various  settlements  induced  and  the 
barter  with  natives  for  food  occasioned.  It  led  them  first  along 
a  beautiful  country,  where  splendid  forests  were  tlireaded  by  a 
number  of  beautiful  streams  and  inhabited  by  "true  negroes." 
Then  through  the  district  of  Ambaca,  where  the  traces  of  Jesuit 
labor  linger  in  the  intelligence  of  the  people,  and  the  men 
themselves  live  yet  in  the  love  of  those  they  sought  to  elevate. 
After  that  came  a  mountainous  region  which  delighted  the 
highland  heart  of  Livingstone,  and  brought  back  to  his  mind 
many  a  view  which  charms  the  traveller  in  his  own  dear  Scot- 
land— a  region  wildly  beautiful  and  remarkably  fertile.  As 
they  came  nearer  to  the  coast  the  life  was  not  so  vigorous,  the 
scene  became  sterile. 

On  the  31st  of  May  the  party  looked  out  on  the  Atlantic 
from  the  brow  of  the  hill  which  overlooks  the  city  of  Loanda, 
where  all  at  once,  as  the  Makololo  expressed  it,  the  world  said, 
"  I  am  finished  ;  there  is  no  more  of  me." 


CHAPTER    VII. 

ANGOLA. 

Anxiety— A  Single  Englishman— Sickness— Mr.  Gabriel's  Kindness -Settlement 
of  Loauda— Portuguese  Failure— Two  Things  Unfortunate— Makololo  at 
W'ork— The  Ship  "a  Town"— Livingstone's  Kelapse— Long  Illness— Whut 
Might  have  Been— Slave  Trade— Slavery  in  Africa— Grounds  of  Livingstone's 
Op[)osition— Negligent  Cultivation  of  the  Soil— Two  Shillings  a  Month- 
Fetich  Worship— Portuguese  Policy— Ivory  Trade— Unpaid  Labor— Mania 
for  Litigation— "  Big  Funerals  "—The  Poison  Ordeal— Wild  Animals— TAe 
Self-denial— Looking  Eastward— Departure  from  Loanda— Makololo  Boastings 
—The  "  True  Ancients"— A  Ptcmarkable  Insect— Ambaca— Church  or  Jail- 
Catholic  Mistake— Pungo  Andongo— On  the  Koad— Difficulties  of  Ox-Riding 
—Traders— Beeswax  and  Elephant  Tusks— Liliputian  Monster— Descending 
from  "  Tola  Mungongo  "—Cassange— Drunkenness— The  Quango  Again. 

The  city  was  strange;  the  sea  was  unconscious.  "Are  there 
friends  in  tlie  city  ?  Are  there  tidings  on  the  sea?"  The  fare- 
well had  been  spoken  two  years  ago.  There  had  been  no  coun- 
sel, there  had  been  no  encouragement.  The  wilderness  had 
been  cheerless  and  the  way  had  been  long.  The  stoutest  heart 
sometimes  wants  to  lean  itself  upon  another  heart ;  the  most 
vigorous  frame  may  be  worn  by  toil  and  anxiety.  Is  it  strange 
that  the  strong  man  staggered  to  the  brow  of  the  hill  and  con- 
fessed a  sinking  heart  as  he  looked  down  on  the  city  and  out  on 
the  sea  ?  And  is  it  wonderful  that  he  was  glad  when  he  found 
flowers  blooming  about  the  door  of  the  only  Englishman  in 
Loanda?  Flowers  are  silent  and  frail,  they  are  expressive  and 
powerful ;  they  control  human  passions  like  love,  and  smile  a 
welcome  sweeter  than  words  may  tell.  It  is  a  beautiful  thing 
to  enter  a  generous  home  across  beds  of  flowers.  The  .home  of 
Mr.  Gabriel  proved  itself  worthy  of  the  hopes  of  the  sick  and 
destitute  man  of  God  and  friend  of  men  who  sought  its  door. 
Dr.  Livingstone  was  received  like  a  brother.  But  his  strength 
was  gone.  The  brother's  care  was  timely.  Like  a  racer  whom 
no  fatigue  can  master  until  the  goal  is  won,  he  had  triumphed, 
but  sank  down  helplessly  in  his  success. 
170 


;  ^iJ^^MKf  'innri'vif'i'f 


*M"'^-  , 


I '    -■  f. 


m 


I' iiiiiiii'ii'j'  ,aai  V      J  * 


.lSiii3iiiiiBiiai*s' 


SETTLEMENT   OF   LOANDA.  173 

The  generous  Englishman  was  glad  to  attend  him  in  his 
sickness,  and  happy  in  the  privilege  of  surrendering  his  own 
bed  to  the  man  who  had  known  no  better  pillow  than  the 
ground  for  so  many  months.  And  not  only  Mr.  Gabriel,  but 
many  Portuguese  gentlemen  were  eager  with  their  kindnesses. 
Whoever  has  not  felt  the  loneliness  of  such  a  life  can  hardly 
appreciate  fully  the  happiness  of  such  attentions.  The  friendly 
Makololo  had  been  kind  and  zealous  in  his  service,  but  they 
were  heathen,  and  the  very  kindness  in  wiiich  they  proved  their 
love  only  provoked  a  deeper  anxiety,  for  they  were  his  care;  in 
their  dusky  forms  all  the  ignorance  and  ills  of  Africa  were 
revived  before  him.  It  was  very  pleasant  to  be  cared  for  by 
equals,  whose  faces  revived  no  anxiety.  The  good  nursing  of 
his  friend,  and  the  skill  of  Mr.  Cockin,  surgeon  of  an  English 
ship  which  stood  in  the  harbor,  with  the  presence  of  the  warm- 
hearted naval  officers,  were  mightier,  under  God,  than  the  ill- 
ness, and  Dr.  Livingstone  was  soon  sufficiently  restored  and 
refreshed  to  be  deeply  interested  in  all  surrounding  objects. 
Loanda  itself,  with  its  lofty  cliffs  casting  their  rugged  shadows 
on  the  sea,  whose  waves  are  forever  breaking  against  their  sides, 
and  its  massive  castle  frowning  from  a  beetling  crag ;  its  old 
stone  mansions  and  huts  of  daub  and  thatch ;  its  motley  popu- 
lace of  Portuguese,  mulattocs  and  negroes ;  its  harbor,  where 
ships  of  all  nations  display  their  flags,  is  a  place  worthy  of  the 
traveller's  attention.  But,  as  the  capital  of  Angola,  it  opens  to 
him  a  volume,  imperfect  still  and  indistinctly  written,  but  car- 
rying him  back  to  the  same  eventful  era  in  which  our  own  land 
was  snatched  out  of  the  sea  and  made  known  to  the  world. 
About  the  time  Columbus  discovered  America,  Diego  Cam  was 
planting  the  ensign  of  Portugal  on  the  coast  of  Angola  ;  and  the 
city — "St.  Paul  de  Loanda" — was  founded  in  1578.  It  has 
been  a  splendid  city.  When  approached  from  the  sea,  its  forts 
and  castles,  and  domes  and  spires  and  stone  palaces,  all  white 
and  gleaming  in  the  sunshine — massive  memorials  of  former 
glory — contradict  the  thought  of  benighted  wilds.  When  ap- 
proached from  the  inland,  the  same  stately  structures  burst  on 
the  view  like  works  of  enchantment.  White  men  lean  over  the 
prows  of  their  ships  and  wonder  why  so  vigorous  and  decided  a 
messenger  of  civilization  has  stood  powerless  by  the  sea  during 


174  PORTUGUESE   FAILURE. 

three  hundred  years.  The  savage  gazes  down  from  the  heights 
and  wonders  what  strange  power  it  is  that  stands  by  their 
forests  and  deals  with  people  in  the  sea. 

The  Portuguese  have  not  proven  themselves  equal  to  the 
task  of  lifting  up  Africa.  Their  labor  and  long-continued  sway 
have  been  almost  fruitless.  The  dilapidation  of  Loanda  tells 
the  story  of  all  their  efforts  in  Angola.  The  marks  of  failure 
are  seen  all  over  the  district.  The  habits  and  customs  of  the 
natives  are  hardly  modified  ;  their  superstitions  are  not  dispelled; 
their  degradation  is  deepened.  The  white  faces  only  supply  a 
contrast  unfriendly  to  the  black.  The  deserted  convents  and 
broken  crosses  only  cast  heavy  shadows  on  the  barbarism  they 
have  not  enlightened.  The  civilization  has  only  tyrannized 
Iieathenisra,  and  has  not  helped  it.  The  curse  of  degeneracy 
has  followed  their  unfaithfulness,  and  settlers  themselves  need 
reformation.  Two  things  were  unfortunate:  the  Portuguese 
Government  established  the  colony  covetously,  and  Roman 
Catholicism  established  the  mission.  The  colony  could  not  be 
a  success  which  sought  only  wealth.  The  miasion  could  only 
fail  which  encouraged  superstition  and  little  more  than  change<l 
the  names  of  gods.  But  the  forgotten  villages  and  lanipless 
altars  must  not  discourage  civilization  or  daunt  Christianity. 
They  do  not  prove  that  Africa  is  irredeemable ;  they  only  call 
our  attention  to  a  mistaken  policy,  and  help  us  toward  wisdom. 
They  furnish  a  field  where  ignorance  has  been  bruised  under  the 
heel  of  intelligence;  where  superstition  sits  helplessly  under  the 
seal  of  Christianity.  Angola,  with  Portuguese  stations  every- 
where, and  familiar  with  the  names  of  priests  and  saints,  cries 
piteously  to  the  Christian  world,  as  does  the  heart  of  Africa. 

One  of  two  splendid  cathedrals  in  Loanda  is  now  a  work- 
shop, and  the  traveller  saw,  with  sorrow,  oxen  feeding  within 
the  walls  of  another.  Many  miserable  huts  of  wattle  and  daub 
have  crept  in  between  the  stone  mansions,  and  half-naked  black 
men  trust  to  their  fetiches  under  the  shadow  of  the  walls  where 
the  crucifix  hangs,  and  ])arade  their  strange  customs  by  the  side 
of  European  luxury.  Darkness  and  light  dwell  together,  and 
about  them  a  half-caste  offspring.  A  strange  embodiment  of 
intelligence  and  ignorance,  of  Christianity  and  fetichism,  exerts 
a  growing  power. 


MAKOLOLO   ASTONISHMENT.  175 

The  Makololo  attendants  of  Livingstone  had  shared  the 
kindness  which  was  so  generously  bestowed  on  their  master. 
They  had  time  to  indulge  their  curious  amazement,  gazing  on 
the  houses  and  churches  and  out  on  the  sea  where  the  various 
ships  were  anchored.  And  when  Livingstone  wa.s  sufficiently 
recovered  to  go  with  them,  they  were  invited  to  visit  an  Eng- 
lish man-of-war.  The  stories  of  foul  play  practised  so  fre- 
quently on  black  men  made  them  a  little  timid ;  but  they  had 
confidence  in  their  "  father,"  and  soon  the  kind  attentions  of 
the  generous  sailors  made  them  feel  perfectly  assured.  Their 
confidence  was  almost  reverence  when  they  learned  that  these 
men  and  their  ship  were  here  to  put  down  the  trade  in  slaves. 
And  they  were  delighted  when  they  were  permitted  to  fire  off  a 
cannon,  and  told  "  that  is  what  we  put  down  the  slave  trade 
Avith."  They  were  amazed  at  the  size  of  the  ship.  "  It  is  not 
a  canoe  at  all,"  they  cried;  "it  is  a  town  I"  They  called  the 
deck  the  "  kotla,"  but  the  rigging  perplexed  them,  and  they 
were  heard  to  say,  "  but  what  sort  of  town  is  it  that  you  must 
climb  up  into  with  ropes?  "  They  had  at  last  proven  fully  the 
faithfulness  of  Dr.  Livingstone ;  they  had  absolutely  wandered 
all  through  the  great  ship  which  they  had  been  taught  to  dread 
as  the  dreaded,  cruellest  bondage,  as  more  horrible  than  death ; 
they  had  been  kindly  entertained  by  other  white  men,  and  han- 
dled without  injury  their  great  guns.  They  gathered  about 
their  friend  with  absolute  trust  and  aifection. 

The  recovery  of  Livingstone  was  too  speedy  to  be  permanent: 
a  severe  relapse  confined  him  again  to  the  bed  of  his  noble  host, 
and  a  long  and  wearying  illness  cut  him  off  from  his  followers 
and  held  him  a  prisoner  in  Loanda.  But  Mr.  Gabriel's  kind- 
ness was  unwavering  and  most  assiduous.  He  not  only  nursed 
his  guest  fliithfully,  but  assumed  again  the  care  of  the  Makololo. 
These  active  men  won  the  admiration  of  those  who  saw  them 
by  the  promptness  with  which  they  engaged  in  their  self- 
support,  though  strangers  and  visitors.  In  the  absence  of  other 
employment,  they  began  a  brisk  trade  in  firewood,  which  they 
brought  in  from  the  neighboring  forests  on  their  shoulders. 
They  were  then  employed  to  unload  a  cargo  of  coal.  This  fur- 
nished them  with  something  to  tell  when  they  returned  to  their 
own  people.     It  was  a  wonderful  thing  to  be  working  hard  a 


176  SLAVE  TRADE  OF  LOANDA. 

"  moon  and  a  half"  unloading  "  stones  that  burn,"  and  quit 
leaving  plenty  in  the  vessel.  Indeed,  everything  in  civilized 
life  is  wonderful  to  these  sons  of  the  distant  wilderness  lands. 
And  the  effect  on  the  minds  of  these  Makololo  of  their  few 
months'  contact  with  Europeans,  who  treated  them  with  special 
kindness — a  kindness  secured  by  their  association  with  the  great 
explorer — suggests  the  most  hopeful  results  for  efforts  made  in 
the  true  spirit  of  Christ  for  the  enlightenment  of  Africa.  If 
there  had  been  no  slave  trade  from  Loanda ;  if  there  had  been 
fair  dealing  with  the  natives;  if  there  had  been  a  generous  re- 
cognition of  their  manhood  at  the  different  posts  of  the  Portu- 
guese authority ;  if  there  had  been  clear  Christian  instruction 
by  the  priests ;  if  there  had  been  no  new  superstitions  engrafted 
on  their  ignorance ;  if  the  open  Bible  had  been  given  them  in- 
stead of  the  mysterious  crucifix  and  the  pictures  of  saints ;  if 
love  and  honest  instruction  had  been  given  in  the  place  of 
cruelty  and  vigorous  mysticism,  who  will  say  that  Angola 
would  not  have  been  the  bright  spot  on  this  continent  long  ago, 
toward  which  the  world  might  look  with  pride,  and  for  Avhich 
the  churches  might  glorify  God?  We  do  not  need  to  charge 
the  Portuguese  with  bringing  about  the  slave  trade  beyond  the 
coasts.  There  is  reason  to  believe  that  it  was  a  part  of  African 
life  long  before  the  settlement  of  Loanda.  But  it  is  a  pity  that 
the  cupidity  of  nominal  Christians  was  so  eager  to  embrace  the 
opportunity  which  the  degradation  of  a  people  presented.  It  is 
a  shame  in  Christendom  that  the  miseries  discovered  in  a  ne- 
glected land  could  excite  commiseration  only  when  they  had 
satiated  covetousness.  No  one  thing  so  engaged  the  heart  of 
Livingstone  as  ihc  suppression  of  the  slave  trade.  We  do  not 
need  to  confess  our  faith  in  all  the  venomous  charges  wiiic-h  are 
brought  apcainst  those  who  have  owned  men.  We  do  not  need 
to  qnostion  whether  the  actual  condition  of  Africans  held  in 
bondasre  in  civilized  communities  is  really  better  than  the  condi- 
tion of  those  who  shrink  and  shudder  or  curse  and  kill  in  the 
wild  land  of  their  nativity.  We  do  not  need  to  consider  the 
question  of  the  absolnt«  guilt  or  innocence  of  slaveholding  in 
the  Hirlit  of  the  Scriptures,  l>efore  we  offer  our  hearty  sympa- 
thies for  the  noble,  life-long  efforts  of  this  singularly  con'^ecraled 
man  to  engage  the   iieart  of  the  world  for  Africa.     And   we 


Livingstone's  opposition.  177 

can  pray  with  him  when  we  find  him  importuning  God  out  of 
those  wildernesses  for  tiie  time  when  liis  truth  may  have  turned 
the  darkness  into  light,  and  when  no  man  shall  invade  the  con- 
tinent with  chains  of  any  other  bondage  than  Christ's  constrain- 
ing love.  He  found  that  the  slave  system  existing  in  various 
parts  of  the  country  presented  one  of  the  most  perplexing  bar- 
riers to  his  work,  and  found,  too,  that,  whatever  might  be  the 
contrast  between  negroes  in  America  and  their  ancestors  in 
Africa,  in  Africa  the  contrast  was  against  slavery.  "Wherever 
he  found  the  tribes  distinguished  by  systems  of  slavery,  he 
found  deceptions  and  cruelties  and  superstitions  innumerable; 
while  in  the  tribes  which  denounced  slavery,  and  counted  every 
man  a  member  of  the  family  of  the  chief,  and  called  themselves 
"  men,"  he  found  generosity  and  kindness  and  comparative  in- 
telligence. As  a  missionary  in  Africa  he  could  only  lament  the 
slave  idea,  and,  depending  on  his  testimony  of  facts,  liow  shall 
we  not  lament  with  him  that  idea,  at  least  so  far  as  it  is  con- 
nected with  the  internal  condition  of  that  unhappy  continent? 
And  how  shall  we  not  be  willing  to  sacrifice  all  theories  and 
privileges  for  the  speediest  redemption  of  those  wild  tribes? 
Who  is  there  that  can  withhold  his  applause  and  his  help  when 
the  conversion  of  Africa  demands  the  closing  of  every  slave 
mart  on  its  coast,  and  the  moral  influence  of  the  world  against 
the  systems  of  bondage  that  exist  in  the  social  structure  of  its 
tribes?  Livingstone's  denunciation  of  slavery  in  the  abstract 
was  grounded  not  so  much  on  any  theory  of  justice  and  injus- 
tice, or  idle  prejudice,  as  on  what  he  saw  to  be  the  evil  influence 
of  the  slave  trade  on  Africa,  and  its  natural  antagonism  for 
African  evangelization.  He  did  not  denounce  the  slaveholders 
and  go  to  Africa,  but  he  went  to  Africa,  and  after  long  observa- 
tion testified  to  the  world  that  every  slave  ship  which  touched 
that  continent  drove  it  into  deeper  degradation,  and  on  behalf 
of  its  hundred  million  souls  pleaded  against  them.  His  heart 
was  encouraged  by  the  presence  of  an  English  commissioner  for 
the  suppression  of  this  trade  in  the  person  of  such  a  man  as  Mr. 
Gabriel,  and  by  the  presence  in  the  port  of  English  power  to 
prevent  it ;  but  it  was  quite  clear  that  the  strictest  vigilance  and 
the  most  sincere  purjwse  had  not  been  successful  in  effectually 
preventing  its  continuance.     The  cupidity  of  the  traders  was 


178.  LABOR   IN   ANGOLA. 

too  great  and  their  wares  too  tempting.  The  one  secured  them 
possession  of  great  numbers  of  the  poor  creatures,  the  other 
found  means  to  dispose  of  them. 

The  abundance  of  tliis  unrewarded  labor  throughout  Angohi 
had  probably  been  the  cause  of  much  negligence  in  the  masters 
of  the  soil.  The  appliances  of  agriculture  were  almost  entirely 
wanting,  though  the  soil  is  singularly  fertile  and  offers  a  won- 
derful reward  for  industry.  Cotton  grows  almost  as  freely  as 
the  native  grasses,  and  coffee,  though  probably  imported,  is 
found  in  many  places  growing  most  luxuriantly  and  yielding 
abundantly  with  hardly  any  attention.  Indeed,  almost  every 
variety  of  fruit  and  vegetable  and  important  article  of  agri- 
culture is  easily  reared  in  the  splendid  valleys  of  this  district. 
Yet  singularly  enough  there  was  found  no  implement  of  labor 
except  the  peculiar  Angola  hoe  with  double  handle,  which  is 
dragged  lazily  along  across  the  ground  to  make  a  place  for  the 
seed,  which  when  once  deposited  is  left  to  its  own  vitality  and 
the  favor  of  climate  and  soil  until  the  harvest.  The  labor  of 
cultivating  the  lands  falls  to  the  women.  The  men  are  not  dis- 
tinguished by  as  much  industry  as  the  women,  and  work  so 
leisurely  at  their  weaving  that  they  only  produce  a  single  web, 
a  few  feet  in  length  and  twenty  inches  wide,  in  a  month  ;  receiv- 
ing only  two  shillings  for  their  task  and  material.  There  are  in 
various  places  ruins  of  manufactories,  and  traces  of  former 
works  in  iron  and  copper.  The  natives  have  become  exceed- 
ingly fond  of  barter,  in  which  they  exchange  with  foolish  pro- 
digality anything  they  may  get  their  hands  on  for  such  articles 
as  may  strike  their  fancy.  Those  who  are  held  as  slaves  mani- 
fest a  perfect  mania  for  stealing,  and  are  always  ready  with  any 
amount  of  lying  to  conceal  their  thefts.  Their  chief  food  is  the 
manioc ;  and  they  are  in  consequence  more  effeminate  than  they 
would  be  with  a  stronger  diet.  They  are,  like  many  of  the 
more  inland  tribes,  dreadfully  superstitious,  and  cherish  some 
strange  antl  cruel  customs,  which  spring  from  their  beliefs. 
They  can  hardly  be  called  idolaters  in  the  strict  sense  of  the 
term,  because  the  worship  of  idols  implies  an  ultimate  ap))eal 
to  a  Su))reme  Being.  They  are  Fetich  worshippers.  The 
difference  between  them  and  idolaters  is  that  they  do  not  con- 
sider the  object  which  they  bow  down  before  as  an  image  of  an 


PORTUGUESE   POLICY.  179 

Unseen  Being,  but  as  itself  possessing  the  power  to  whieh  they 
appeal.  Perhaps  there  is  no  form  of  heathen  belief  so  degrad- 
ing and  oppressive  as  this,  none  which  leaves  the  worshipper 
more  a  prey  to  his  own  vicious  imagination,  or  affords  such 
opportunities  for  the  abuses  of  the  priests  who  minister  at  the 
strange  altars. 

Dr.  Livingstone  found  many  traces  of  the  early  Jesuit  teach- 
ing, which  inspired  him  with  respect  for  these  men,  as  having 
really  sought  to  benefit  those  whom  they  taught ;  and  in  many 
places  they  are  remembered  by  the  natives  kindly,  while  the 
priests  who  succeeded  them  are  only  referred  to  bitterly. 

There  was  nothing  seen  of  the  boldness  and  courage  among 
the  natives  which  frequently  excited  his  admiration  for  their 
sable  brothers  in  the  distant  forests  which  he  had  left.  The 
prevailing  slavery  and  military  government  of  the  Portuguese 
have  taken  away  whatever  spirit  may  have  distinguished  them  in 
former  times.  The  African  is  generally  in  great  terror  of  fire- 
arms, and  a  dismantled  fort  with  only  a  useless  cannon  fills 
the  regions  around  with  awe  and  will  hold  entire  communities 
in  subjection. 

The  country  is  divided  with  some  regularity  by  the  govern- 
ment'at  Loanda,  and  there  are  officials  known  as  commanders 
occupying  these  several  districts,  who,  having  little  else  to  do, 
and  being  poorly  paid  by  their  government,  have  time  and 
temptation  to  abuse  the  natives  by  all  sorts  of  impositions  and 
extortions.  These  gentlemen  generally  accumulate  large  prop- 
erties and  seem  to  enjoy  great  serenity  in  their  little  tyrannies. 
These  Portuguese  authorities  manage  quite  shrewdly  to  relieve 
themselves  of  as  much  t^re  as  possible,  and  at  the  same  time 
maintain  the  real  authority  over  the  people,  by  taking  advantage 
of  the  gradations  Into  which  native  society  is  divided. 

"  This  man,  for  instance,  is  still  a  sova  or  chief,  has  his 
councillors,  and  maintains  the  same  state  as  when  the  country 
Avas  independent.  "When  any  of  his  people  are  guilty  of  theft, 
he  pays  down  the  amount  of  goods  stolen  at  once,  and  reim- 
burses himself  out  of  the  property  of  the  thief  so  effectually  as 
to  be  benefited  by  the  transaction.  The  people  under  him  are 
divided  into  a  number  of  classes.  There  are  his  councillors,  as 
the  highest,  who  are  generally  head  men  of  several  villages,  and 


180  TRADE   IN    IVORY. 

the  carriers,  the  lowest  free  men.  One  class  above  the  last 
obtains  the  privilege  of  wearing  shoes  from  the  chief  by  paying 
for  it;  another,  the  soldiers  or  militia,  pay  for  the  privilege  of 
serving,  the  advantage  being  that  they  are  not  afterward  liable 
to  be  made  carriers.  They  are  also  divided  into  gentlemen,  and 
little  gentlemen,  and,  tliough  quite  black,  speak  of  themselves 
as  white  men,  and  of  the  others,  w'ho  may  not  w^ear  shoes,  as 
'  blacks.' " 

The  lordly  masters  of  the  region  manifest  little  concern 
whether  their  subjects  worship  a  bush,  or  the  sun,  or  Christ,  if 
only  their  plantations  and  orchards  yield  abundantly,  and  their 
pockets  growing  yearly  more  plethoric  promise  leisure  and 
comfort  when  they  go  back  to  their  own  country. 

Next  to  the  trade  in  slaves,  perhaps  the  most  material  export 
from  Loauda  in  the  past  has  been  ivory,  which  is  brought  from 
the  interior  by  means  of  slave  carriers  in  great  quantities ;  and 
since  the  serious  efforts  for  the  suppression  of  the  former,  this 
latter  article  is  greatly  increased  in  relative  value.  Slaves,  in- 
deed, are  very  cheap.  Dr.  Livingstone  mentions  seeing  a  boy 
twelve  years  old  sold  for  a  single  fowl,  which  was  the  equiva- 
lent of  only  a  pound  or  two  of  ivory.  Almost  fabulous  num- 
bers of  tusks  are  brought  out  by  the  traders  yearly.  And  as 
there  is  no  wagon  way,  and  all  burdens  must  be  conveyed  by 
hand,  ther?e  are  great  numbers  of  men  who  are  employed  ex- 
clusively in  this  labor.  These  carriers  were  formerly  forced 
into  service  in  any  numbers,  as  the  demand  might  suggest ;  and 
even  now  it  is  more  a  service  of  compulsion  than  willingness; 
for  the  government,  while  almost  forced  in  self-respect  to  enact 
laws  which  have  a  show  of  kindness  and  justice,  really  encour- 
ages the  disregard  of  those  laws  by  the  leniency  with  which  it 
regards  their  violation  by  the  different  commanders.  Unwil- 
ling to  relinquish  its  authority  in  Angola,  the  Portuguese  home 
government  seems  equally  unwilling  to  support  it  by  the  neces- 
sary expense,  and  prefers  to  hire  officials  for  it  by  rich  oppor- 
timiile.H  rather  than  reasonable  salaries.  It  cannot  cancel  the 
opportunities  without  increasing  the  salarit«,  so  the  disregard 
of  all  protective  ordinances  is  winked  at,  and  the  natives  serve 
for  nothing. 

It  Is  Interesting  to  observe  in  the  natives  of  Angola — who, 


COMPULSORY   SERVICE   IN    ANGOI.. 


BIG    FUNERALS. 


183 


indeed,  are  more  of  the  negro  type  than  many  of  the  tribes — 
much  the  same  disposition  to  imitate  tl)c  more  enlightened 
white  people,  as  we  know  to  be  a  feature  of  negro  character  in 
our  own  country,  and  naturally  enough  they  succeed  best  in 
those  particulars  which  are  least  commendable.  The  better 
qualities  in  people  hardly  ever  impress  themselves  as  forcibly 
on  the  minds  of  the  untutored  as  do  others.  These  Angolese 
negroes,  for  instance,  have  developed  a  singulai  fondness  for 
litigation,  in  which  they  are  reckless  of  all  results  if  only  they 
may  have  the  comfort  of  taking  an  antagonist  to  court.  Living- 
stone mentions  a  case  which  came  before  the  weekly  court  o^ 
the  commandant,  involving  property  in  a  })alm  tree  worth  two- 
pence. The  judge  advised  the  pursuer  to  withdraw  the  case, 
as  the  mere  expenses  of  entering  it  would  be  much  more  than 
the  cost  of  the  tree.  "  Oh,  no,"  said  he ;  "  I  have  a  piece  of 
calico  with  me  for  the  clerk,  and  money  for  yourself.  It's  my 
right;  I  will  not  forego  it."  The  calico  itself  cost  three  or  four 
shillings.  They  rejoice  if  they  can  say  of  an  enemy,  "  I  took 
him  before  the  court." 

They  have  also  a  great  ambition  for  titles  and  display,  in 
which  the  Portuguese,  who  have  as  little  scruples  about  color  as 
they  Iiave  about  slavery,  indulge  them  quite  freely.  It  is  ncrt. 
uncommon  for  them  to  invite  these  petty  chiefs,  whom  they  re-r 
tain  in  a  seeming  authority  for  their  own  convenience,  to  their 
feasts,  and  they  always  appear  with  a  show  of  importance  which 
is  sometimes  extremely  grotesque. 

Funerals  here,  as  in  other  sections,  call  forth  the  greatest 
excitement  and  justify  all  the  excesses  imaginable.  The  highest 
ambition  is  a  grand  funeral,  and  furnishes  occasion  for  more 
than  ordinary  forethought.  Frequently  when  one  is  asked  to 
sell  a  pig,  he  replies,  "I  am  keeping  it  in  case  of  the  death  of 
any  of  my  friends."  A  pig  is  usually  slaughtered  and  eaten  on 
the  last  day  of  the  ceremonies,  and  its  head  thrown  into  the 
nearest  stream  or  river.  A  native  will  sometimes  appear  intox- 
icated on  these  occasions,  and,  if  blamed  for  his  intemperance, 
will  reply,  "  Why  !  my  mother  is  dead !  "  as  if  he  thought  it  a 
sufficient  justification.  The  expenses  of  funerals  are  so  heavy 
that  often  years  elapse  before  they  can  defray  them.  The  rites 
are  half  festive,  half  mourning,  partaking  somewhat  of  the 


184 


POISON  ORDEAL. 


character  of  an  Irish  wake.  There  is  nothing  more  heart- 
rending than  their  death  wails.  When  the  natives  turn  their 
eyes  to  the  future  world,  they  have  a  view  cheerless  enough  of 
their  own  utter  helplessness  and  hopelessness.  They  fancy 
themselves  completely  in  the  power  of  the  disembodied  spirits, 
and  look  upon  the  prospect  of  following  them  as  the  greatest  of 
misfortunes.  Hence  they  are  constantly  deprecating  the  wrath 
of  departed  souls,  believing  that,  if  they  are  appeased,  there  is 
no  other  cause  of  death  but  witchcraft,  which  may  be  averted 
by  charms.  The  whole  of  the  colored  population  of  Angola  are 
sunk  in  these  gross  superstitions,  but  have  the  opinion,  notwith- 
standing, that  they  are  wiser  in  these  matters  than  their  white 
neighbors.  Each  tribe  has  a  consciousness  of  following  its  own 
best  interests  in  the  best  way.  They  are  by  no  means  destitute 
of  that  self-esteem  which  is  so  common  in  other  nations;  yet, 
they  fear  all  manner  of  phantoms,  and  have  half-developed 
ideas  and  traditions  of  something  or  other,  they  know  not  what. 

One  of  the  most  distressing  customs  growing  out  of  the  super- 
stition of  these  people  is  their  appeal  to  the  "poison  ordeal"  in 
cas&s  of  alleged  guilt.  The  draught  is  prepared  by  certain 
priests  or  pretended  diviners  at  a  particular  spot  on  the  banks 
of  the  river  Ina.  Its  effects  differ  in  proportion  to  the  strength 
or  weakness  of  the  decoction.  In  a  weaker  state  it  remains  in 
the  stomach  and  produces  a  horrible  death ;  when  stronger,  it 
causes  violent  vomiting,  and  is  not  fatal.  It  is  easily  under- 
stood how  the  experienced  priest  who  administers  it  may  decide 
the  destiny  of  a  poor  victim  of  the  terrible  delusion.  If  the 
draught  causes  death  it  is  considered  proof  positive  of  guilt,  and 
many  a  poor  wife  or  despised  daughter  has  fallen  a  victim  by 
the  agency  of  this  appeal  to  the  contcni{>t  or  unfaithfulness  of 
Aer  friends  or  husband.  It  is  an  awful  ordeal  for  the  people, 
l)ut  a  fat  place  for  the  priest. 

Some  writers  have  spoken  of  Angola  as  abounding  in  M'ild 
animals,  but  with  very  little  evidence.  It  seems  generally 
taken  for  granted  that  because  there  are  ferocious  monsters  in 
some  sections  of  this  continent  that  they  may  therefore  be 
assumed  to  be  anywhere  and  everywhere.  There  seems  to  be 
rather  an  extraordinary  absence  of  such  inhabitants  in  Angola. 
Even  the  few  which  may  be  there  are  so  intimidated  and  spirit- 


THE  SELF   DENIAL.  185 

less  that  they  take  no  part  in  the  incidents  of  the  day,  and  are 
the  victims  of  traps  rather  than  arms. 

Dr.  Livingstone  tlionght  that  he  discovered  a  peculiarly  dis- 
piriting effect  of  the  climate  on  the  people  themselves,  which  is 
hardly  in  keeping  with  the  idea  of  multitudes  of  wild  beasts. 
He  mentions  that  even  the  bulls  are  spiritless  and  serve  like 
oxen  for  riding.  ''I  never  met  a  ferocious  one  in  the  country," 
says  he. 

The  time  at  length  came  when  his  health  was  so  far  renewed 
that  he  might  resume  his  travels.  Lying  in  the  harbor  was  an 
English  vessel,  and  her  captain  offered  him  passage  homeward. 
The  temptation  was  very  great.  More  than  two  years  had 
passed  since  he  parted  with  his  wife,  fourteen  years  since  he 
entered  Africa  at  the  Cape.  Oh  how  his  heart  longed  for  the 
old  scenes  once  more  !  The  warm  friends  in  England,  the  lov- 
ing wife  and  children,  and  at  Blantyre,  on  the  Clyde,  there 
were  dear  cherished  ones  fading  now,  and  forms  growing 
weaker  every  day.  The  murmuring  of  the  sea  might  be  the 
voices  of  those  dear  ones  calling  him  to  receive  the  last  blessing. 
If  he  turned  again  into  the  wilderness,  could  he  endure  another 
journey  like  the  last?  Would  he  pass  the  hostile  border  tribes 
safely?  Where  would  he  again  look  out  on  the  sea?  And 
why  should  he  go?  He  was  now  convinced  that  there  could 
be  no  highway  from  Angola  into  central  Africa.  Wagons  could 
not  possibly  follow  his  footsteps  across  the  mountains  and 
flooded  valleys,  and  through  the  covetous  and  unfriendly  tribes 
that  had  beset  his  life  so  resolutely.  And  where  in  all  that 
region  could  he  hope  to  establish  a  mission?  And  why  simply 
retrace  his  steps  over  so  great  a  distance?  Why  not  yield  to 
the  kind  solicitations  of  his  generous  friend  and  look  on  the 
hills  and  valleys  of  his  own  native  land  once  more,  and  make 
glud  the  hearts  of  his  aged  parents,  and  comfort  his  patient, 
faithful  wife,  and  smile  on  his  own  children  ?  Surely  all  history 
cannot  produce  an  instance  of  more  delicate  conscientiousness 
and  nobler  benevolence  than  he  undesignedly  reveals  when  he 
says :  "  I  had  brought  a  party  of  Sekeletu's  people  with  me,  and 
found  the  tribes  near  the  Portuguese  settlements  so  very  un- 
friendly that  it  would  be  altogether  impossible  for  them  to  re- 
turn alone.     I  therefore  resolved  to  decline  the  tempting  offer 


186  DEPARTURE  FROM  LOANDA. 

and  take  my  Makololo  back  to  their  chief."  Is  it  wonderful 
that  sucli  a  man  should  be  able  to  walk  up  and  down  among 
savages?  It  was  the  spirit  of  Christ  shining  out  in  everything 
he  did  which  charmed  them  and  made  him  a  master,  while  he 
called  them  his  friends.  There  was,  however,  the  additional 
thought  and  desire  that  from  the  Makololo  country  he  might 
follow  the  Zambesi  to  the  coast  on  the  east,  and  possibly  find  a 
highway  for  the  gospel  to  the  hidden  homes  of  the  millions  of 
poor  degraded  beings  who  were  pa.ssing  across  the  stage  of  life, 
who  were  spending  the  probation  for  eternity  in  helpless  ignor- 
ance and  "  ])assing  away  in  darkness." 

Furnished  with  a  number  of  presents  for  Sekelctu,  including 
a  horse  and  a  complete  colonel's  uniform,  and  suits  of  clothing 
for  all  the  men  why  accompanied  him  to  Loanda,  and  first-rate 
specimens  of  the  different  articles  of  trade,  and  two  donkeys, 
which  are  the  more  valuable  as  being  proof  against  the  tsetse, 
which  are  the  bane  of  the  Makololo  country,  and  having  re- 
ceived letters  of  commendation  to  the  Portuguese  authorities  in 
eastern  Africa,  Dr.  Livingstone  and  his  followers  left  St.  Paul 
de  Loanda  on  the  20th  of  September,  1854,  after  a  little  less 
than  four  months,  nearly  all  of  which  had  been  spent  in  painful 
illness.  A  fresh  supply  of  ammunition  and  beads,  with  a  good 
stock  of  cloth,  was  a  precaution  quite  in  place,  and  a  musket 
apiece  for  his  men  enabled  them  to  present  a  more  formidable 
display,  and  bid  a  more  serious  defiance  if  it  should  be  necessary 
in  passing  the  pugnacious  tribes  beyond  the  Quango.  The 
Makololo  had  accumulated  a  considerable  amount  of  treasures, 
which  made  it  necessary  to  increase  the  party  by  the  addition 
of  twenty  carriers,  who  were  supplied  by  tlie  Bishop  of  Angola. 

The  party  had  the  company  of  Mr.  Gabriel  as  far  as  Icollo  i 
Bengo,  where  thoy  visited  a  large  sugar  refinery  belonging  to 
Donna  Anna  da  Sousa,  a  lady  owner  of  vast  numbei's  of  slaves, 
who  seemed  to  be  trying  to  furnish  an  illustration  of  how  little 
may  be  done  by  a  multitude  nominally  at  work. 

They  passed  along  some  distance  near  the  river  Senza.  Of 
this  region  Livingstone  says:  "The  whole  of  this  part  of  the 
country  is  com{)osed  of  marly  tufa,  containing  the  same  kind  of 
shells  as  those  at  present  alive  in  the  seas.  As  we  advanced 
eastward  and  ascended  the  higher  lands,  we  found  eruptive  trap, 


MAKOLOLO    BOASTINGS.  187 

which  had  tilted  up  immense  masses  of  mica  and  sandstone 
schists.  The  mica  schist  ahnost  always  dipped  toward  the  in- 
terior of  the  country,  forming  those  mountain  ranges  of  which 
we  have  already  spoken  as  giving  a  highland  character  to  the 
district  of  Golungo  Alto.  The  trap  has  frequently  run  through 
the  gorges  made  in  the  upheaved  rocks,  and  at  the  points  of 
junction  between  the  igneous  and  older  rocks  there  are  large 
quantities  of  strongly  magnetic  iron  ore.  The  clayey  soil 
formed  by  the  disintegration  of  the  mica  schist  and  trap  ie  the 
favorite  soil  for  the  coffee;  and  it  is  on  these  mountain  sides, 
and  others  possessing  a  similar  red  clay  soil,  that  this  plant  has 
propagated  itself  so  widely.  Tiie  meadow  lands  adjacent  to  the 
Senza  and  Coanza  being  underlaid  by  that  marly  tufa  which 
abounds  toward  the  coast,  and  containing  the  same  shells,  show 
that,  previous  to  the  elevation  of  that  side  of  the  country,  this 
region  possessed  some  deeply-indented  bays." 

The  men  experienced  much  inconvenience  now  in  travelling, 
because  the  hard,  dry  roads  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  journey 
caused  considerable  soreness  of  the  feet.  But  their  minds  were 
full  of  the  wonderful  things  they  had  seen,  and,  like  great  chil- 
dren, they  were  ever  planning  narratives  to  be  told  when  they 
reached  their  homes  again,  and  composing  songs  in  honor  of 
their  achievements.  They  would  say  to  their  leader :  "  It  is 
well  you  came  with  the  Makololo,  for  no  tribe  could  iiave  done 
what  we  have  accomplished  in  coming  to  the  white  man's  coun- 
try.    We  are  the  true  ancients  who  can  tell  wonderful  things." 

Some  time  was  spent  in  the  neighborhood  of  Golungo  Alto, 
enjoying  the  hospitality  of  the  commander,  M.  Canto,  who  was 
deeply  interested  in  the  improvement  of  the  country.  One  of 
the  most  remarkable  little  creatures  in  all  Africa  came  under 
the  observation  of  Dr.  liivingstonc  in  this  neighborhood  ;  and 
because  the  account  is  itself  full  of  interest,  and  because  the 
accuracy  of  it  illustrates  a  feature  in  the  character  of  the  man, 
which  has  contributed  very  largely  to  the  singular  success  of 
his  life,  we  prefer  to  give  it  fully  in  his  own  language.  He 
says :  "  Before  leaving,  I  had  an  opportunity  of  observing  a 
curious  insect  which  inhabits  a  tree  of  the  fig  family  (Ficiis) 
upwards  of  twenty  species  of  which  are  found  here ;  seven  or 
eight   of  them   cluster   round  a  spot  on  one  of  the  smaller 


188  REMARKABLE   INSECTS. 

branches,  and  there  keep  up  a  constant  distillation  of  a  clear 
fluid,  which,  dropping  to  the  ground,  forms  a  little  puddle 
below.  If  a  vessel  is  placed  under  them  in  the  evening,  it  con- 
tains three  or  four  pints  of  fluid  in  the  morning.  The  natives 
say  that,  if  a  drop  falls  into  the  eyes,  it  causes  inflammation  of 
these  organs.  To  the  question,  whence  is  this  fluid  derived,  the 
people  reply  that  the  insects  suck  it  out  of  the  tree,  and  our  own 
naturalists  give  the  same  answer.  I  have  never  seen  an  orifice, 
and  it  is  scarcely  possible  that  the  tree  can  yield  so  much.  A 
similar  but  much  smaller  homopterous  insect,  of  the  family 
Cercopidce,  is  known  in  England  as  the  frog-hopj)er  [Aphrophora 
spumaria),  when  full  grown  and  furnished  with  wings,  but 
while  still  in  the  pupa  state  it  is  called  '  Cachoo-spit/  from  the 
mass  of  froth  in  which  it  envelops  itself.  The  circulation  of 
sap  in  plants  in  our  climate,  especially  of  the  graminacejB,  is  not 
quick  enough  to  yield  much  moisture.  The  African  species  is 
five  or  six  times  the  size  of  the  English.  In  the  case  of 
branches  of  the  fig  tree,  the  point  the  insects  congregate  on  is 
soon  marked  by  a  number  of  incipient  roots,  such  as  are  thrown 
out  when  a  cutting  is  inserted  in  the  ground  for  the  purpose  of 
starting  another  tree.  I  believe  that  both  the  English  and 
African  insects  belong  to  the  same  family,  and  differ  only  in 
size,  and  that  the  chief  part  of  the  moisture  is  derived  from  the 
atmosphere.  I  leave  it  for  naturalists  to  explain  how  these 
little  creatures  distil  both  by  night  and  day  as  much  water  as 
thoy  please,  and  are  more  independent  than  her  majesty's  steam- 
ships, with  their  apparatus  for  condensing  steam  ;  for,  without 
coal,  their  abundant  supplies  of  sea-water  are  of  no  avail.  I 
tried  the  following  experiment :  Finding  a  colony  of  these  in- 
sects busily  distilling  on  a  branch  of  the  Ricinus  communis,  or 
castor-oil  plant,  I  denuded  about  20  inches  of  the  bark  on  the 
tree  side  of  the  insects,  and  scraped  away  the  inner  bark,  so  as 
to  destroy  all  the  ascending  vessels.  I  also  cut  a  hole  in  the 
side  of  the  branch,  reaciiing  to  the  middle,  and  then  cut  out  the 
pith  and  internal  vessels.  The  distillation  was  then  going  on 
at  the  rate  of  one  drop  each  G7  seconds,  or  about  2  ounces  5| 
drachms  in  21  hours.  Next  morning  the  distillation,  so  far 
from  being  affected  by  the  attemj^t  to  stop  the  stqiplies,  suppos- 
ing they  had  come  up   througli  the  bnincli  from  the  tree,  was 


DISTRICT   OF   AMBACA.  189 

increased  to  a  drop  every  5  seconds,  or  12  drops  per  minute, 
making  1  pint  (16  ounces)  in  every  24  hours.  I  tiien  cut  the 
branch  so  much  that,  during  the  day,  it  broke ;  but  they  still 
went  on  at  the  rate  of  a  drop  every  5  seconds,  while  another 
colony  on  a  branch  of  the  same  tree  gave  a  drop  every  17 
seconds  only,  or  at  the  rate  of  about  10  ounces  4|  drachms  in  24 
hours.  I  finally  cut  olF  the  branch  ;  but  this  was  too  much  for 
their  patience,  for  they  immediately  decamped,  as  insects  will 
do  from  either  a  dead  branch  or  a  dead  animal,  which  Indian 
hunters  soon  know,  when  they  sit  down  on  a  recently  killed 
bear.  The  presence  of  greater  moisture  in  the  air  increased  the 
power  of  these  distillers :  the  period  of  greatest  activity  was  in 
the  morning,  when  the  air  and  everything  else  was  charged 
with  dew." 

A  splendid  country  was  tempting  them,  which  could  be 
reached  by  turning  aside  only  a  little  to  the  west;  and  though 
deeply  interested  in  the  delightful  district  of  M.  Canto,  the 
traveller  contented  himself  to  give  up  again  the  enjoyments  of 
a  home  for  the  hard  path.  The  country  through  which  he 
passed  before  coming  to  the  far-famed  "  Rocks  of  Pungo  An- 
dongo*"  was  not  new  to  him,  because  it  was  on  the  route  by 
which  he  came  some  months  before.  Then,  however,  he  had 
been  unable  to  appreciate  its  beauties ;  indeed,  unable  even  to 
notice  the  names  and  locations  of  points  of  interest  as  he  passed 
them.  He  was  then  so  worn  out  by  fever  that  he  had  forgotten 
the  days  of  the  week  and  the  names  of  his  companions.  But 
now  he  could  look  away  to  the  lofty  mountains  with  real  de- 
light, and  the  splendid  valleys  of  the  numerous  little  streams, 
teeming  with  herds  and  waving  their  agricultural  wealth  so 
proudly  in  his  view,  charmed  hmi.  In  the  midst  of  a  land- 
scape so  beautiful  it  was  a  disappointment  to  find  only  a  paltry 
village  hiding  itself  as  if  ashamed  in  a  recess  of  the  mountains. 
The  town  of  Ambaca  has  the  same  history  which  makes  nearly 
all  of  the  towns  of  xVngola  gloomy  :  it  is  the  story  of  failure — 
departed  glory.  There  were  the  ruins  of  a  church,  and  a  jail  In 
good  repair,  which  tells  the  whole  story  of  the  Portuguese 
efforts  in  the  country.  The  church  system  was  too  benevolent; 
the  Jesuits  loved  the  natives  too  much.  The  church  did  not 
fill  the  pockets  of  the  Portuguese  settlers  or  afford  a  revenue  to 


190  CHURCHES   OR  JAILS. 

the  government.  It  sought  the  people,  more  than  what  they 
had.  The  church  was  bad  policy.  The  government  could 
receive  more  from  jails.  So  the  church  was  allowed  to  become 
a  ruin ;  the  jail  was  honored.  It  was  a  delusion  of  spiritual 
blindness.  The  jail  will  be  torn  down  some  time  or  other 
where  churches  are  allowed  to  fall.  People  do  not  realize  the 
cost  of  jails.  Larger  revenues  are  obtained  by  strength  of 
authority,  by  measures  of  force ;  it  is  ignored  that  the  revenue 
is  consumed  in  creating  the  force,  in  sustaining  the  authority. 
Rulers  have  not  fully  appreciated  the  greater  wisdom  of  so 
elevating  the  people,  at  any  cost,  that  every  man's  conscience 
may  become  a  constable  who  shall  collect  the  dues  of  govern- 
ment and  protect  society.  It  was  pleasing  and  painful  to  find 
in  the  district  of  Ambaca  some  of  the  traces  of  the  good  but 
mistaken  men  who  had  taught  the  people.  It  was  pleasing  to 
find  so  many  of  the  natives  reading.  It  was  painful  to  realize 
that  the  long  and  other  valuable  labors  of  the  Jesuits  had  left 
no  intelligent  ideas  of  Christ.  It  was  not  their  policy  to  com- 
mit the  word  of  God  to  their  converts.  The  crucifixes  and 
pictures  withstood  too  feebly  the  surrounding  ignorance  and 
superstition.  The  Bible  would  have  been  powerful ;  itT  would 
have  been  the  centre  of  a  growing  light  whether  there  were 
priests  or  none.  The  failure  or  refusal  of  the  Catholic  Church 
to  employ  the  open  Bible  in  their  missions  makes  the  ultimate 
failure  of  them  absolutely  certain.  There  is  no  disposition  to 
deny  that  much  noble  benevolence  and  wonderful  zeal  has 
characterized  the  labors  of  many  of  the  singularly  devoted 
servants  of  this  church  ;  it  is  only  lamented  that  they  do  not 
adopt  a  ])olicy  which  might  be  more  beneficent  and  more  effec- 
tual in  the  conversion  of  men.  The  simple  fact  that  the  forty 
thousand  inhabitants  of  the  district  of  Ambaca  are  improved  in 
intelligence,  and  remember  their  teachers  with  resjiect,  would 
not  satisfy  the  men  who  we  trust  sincerely  desired  their  salva- 
tion finally  and  their  emancipation  now  from  the  bondage  of 
heathen  beliefs.  We  will  hope  that  a  day  may  come  speedily 
when  a  wiser  rule  and  truer  agencies  shall  change  effectually  the 
songs  of  the  people,  and  engage  them  more  truly  in  the  service 
of  Christ.  Surely  it  is  a  sad  mockery  of  the  Master's  commis- 
ti'ion  to  put  his  name  on  men  whoso  hearts  continue  in  most 


PUNGfO   ANDONGO.  191 

degraded  reverence  of  things  inanimate.  Livingstone  was  far 
from  reflecting  severely  on  the  Catholic  Church  or  her  servants, 
but  he  could  not  fail  to  record  a  remonstrance,  and  he  could  not 
record  with  pleasure  even  the  most  conspicuous  self-sacrifice, 
followed  inevitably  by  such  results.  There  could  only  be  pain- 
ful meditations  tinging  the  pleasing  influence  of  nature's  charms 
as  the  missionary  explorer  turned  away  from  this  singularly 
favored  and  unfortunate  district — flavored  in  having  heard, 
unfortunate  in  having  forgotten,  precious,  most  vital  things. 

Crossing  the  Lucalla,  he  bent  his  way  towards  the  paradise 
of  the  country.  He  says :  "  In  all  my  inquiries  about  the 
vegetable  products  of  Angola  I  had  been  invariably  directed  to 
Pungo  Andongo."  On  reaching  the  wonderful  place  he  found 
that  the  remarkable  success  of  a  single  man  in  cultivating  his 
large  estate  told  the  whole  story  of  the  reputation  the  district 
had  gained.  This  man's  name  was  Pires ;  he  was  commander 
of  the  district.  Coming  to  the  country  as  a  servant  on  a  ship, 
he  had  by  industry  made  himself  the  richest  man  in  all  Angola. 
His  residence  and  the  fort  are  under  the  shadow  of  a  group  of 
"columnar-shaped  rocks,  each  of  which  is  more  than  three 
hundred  feet  high."  Of  these  mighty  rocks  Dr.  Livingstone 
writes:  "They  are  composed  of  conglomerate,  made  up  of  a 
great  variety  of  rounded  pieces  in  a  matrix  of  dark  red  sand- 
stone. They  rest  on  a  thick  stratum  of  this  last  rock,  with  very 
few  of  the  pebbles  in  its  substance.  On  this  a  fossil  palm  has 
been  found,  and  if  of  the  same  age  as  those  on  the  eastern  side 
of  the  continent,  on  which  similar  palms  now  lie,  there  may  be 
coal  underneath  this,  as  well  as  under  that  at  Tete.  The 
asserted  existence  of  petroleum  springs  at  Dande,  and  near 
Cambambe,  would  seem  to  indicate  the  presence  of  this  useful 
mineral,  though  I  am  not  aware  of  any  one  having  actually 
seen  a  seam  of  coal  tilted  up  to  the  surface  in  Angola,  as  we 
have  at  Tete.  The  gigantic  pillars  of  Pungo  Andongo  have 
been  formed  by  a  current  of  the  sea  coming  from  the  S.  S.  E. ; 
for,  seen  from  the  top,  they  appear  arranged  in  that  direction, 
and  must  have  withstood  the  surges  of  the  ocean  at  a  period  of 
our  world's  history  when  the  relations  of  land  and  sea  were 
totally  difl'erent  from  what  they  are  now,  and  long  before  'the 
morning  stars  sang  together,  and  all  the  sous  of  God  shouted 


192  ON   THE   ROAD. 

for  joy  to  see  the  abodes  prepared  which  man  was  soon  to  fill.' 
The  imbedded  pieces  in  the  conglomerate  are  of  gneiss,  clay 
shale,  mica  and  sandstone  schists,  trap,  and  porphyry,  most  of 
which  are  large  enough  to  give  the  whole  the  appearance  of 
being  tlie  only  remaining  vestiges  of  vast  primeval  banks  of 
ehingle." 

The  little  village,  environed  by  these  huge,  immovable  sen- 
tinel;?, is  entered  by  narrow  pathways,  across  which  there  are 
beautiful  little  streams  flowing,  and  has  the  air  of  quiet  and 
almost  conscious  security  which  is  only  natural  in  such  a  fast- 
ness. 

It  was  January  1st,  1855,  before  the  party  were  again  on  the 
path.  The  Makololo  marched  along  proudly  enough.  All 
along  they  passed  the  villages  of  the  people  who  had  excited 
their  fears  when  they  were  approaching  the  coast,  and  they  let 
no  opportunity  pass  now  which  might  be  improved  in  reciting 
their  exploits.  Their  attentions  to  Dr.  Livingstone  were  more 
devoted  than  ever,  and  the  happy  confidence  and  comparative 
freshness  of  the  entire  party  enabled  them  to  move  on  with 
remarkable  facility,  though  every  man  carried  his  own  posses- 
sions. The  method  employed  by  the  natives  of  Africa  is  some- 
thing like  that  by  which  the  Chinese  carry  such  heavy  burdens 
with  so  much  ease.  The  bundle  or  basket  is  fastened  to  the 
end  of  a  pole,  which  is  placed  on  the  shoulder.  They  have  yet 
to  learn  that  the  dividing  of  the  burden  strictly,  according  to 
the  fashion  of  the  Celestials,  would  make  their  labor  lighter 
still.  In  the  engraving  of  the  rocks  of  Pungo  Andongo,  the 
travelling  party  is  seen  winding  along  by  the  base  of  the 
gigantic  pillars,  with  Dr.  Livingstone,  mounted  on  his  vigorous 
ox,  in  the  midst.  The  Makololo  could  not  become  expert 
riders;  and  Livingstone  himself,  indeed,  found  the  method  of 
conveyance,  as  furnished  by  the  particular  animal  which  had 
been  raised  to  the  dignity  of  his  steed,  attended  with  some  in- 
conveniences, in  which  the  frequent  most  unceremonious  pre- 
cipitations into  mud  or  sand  or  thorns  or  streams  figured  con- 
spicuously. 

All  along  the  way  there  were  passing  parties  of  traders  and 
natives,  with  their  heavy  loads  of  merchandise  for  the  market 
at  Loanda.     These  consisted  chiefly  of  elephants'  tusks   and 


LILirUTIAN   MONSTERS.  193 

beeswax.  The  great  number  of  these  companies  afforded  ample 
opportunity  for  the  "  true  ancients"  to  tell  how  they  had  them- 
selves "entered  the  ships  of  the  white  men." 

The  absence  in  this  region  of  those  monsters  of  the  forest 
whose  attentions  generally  furnish  incident  for  the  traveller's 
story  leaves  us  willing  to  notice  creatures  more  insignificant 
It  is  a  question,  though,  whether  a  certain  tiny  individual  who 
crossed  Dr.  Livingstone's  path  one  day  on  Tola  Mungongo  may 
be  despised  in  any  company.  This  Lilij)utian  monster  was  none 
other  than  a  7'ed  ant.  Livingstone  may  tell  his  own  story. 
"  The  first  time,"  says  he,  "  that  I  encountered  this  by  no 
means  contemptible  enemy  my  attention  was  taken  up  in  view- 
ing the  distant  landscape,  and  I  accidentally  stepped  on  one  of 
their  nests.  Not  an  instant  seemed  to  elapse  before  a  simul- 
taneous attack  was  made  on  various  unprotected  parts ;  up  the 
trowsers  from  below  and  on  ray  neck  and  breast  above.  The 
bites  of  these  furies  were  like  sparks  of  fire,  and  there  was  no 
retreat.  I  jumped  about  for  a  second  or  two,  and  then  in 
desperation  tore  off  all  ray  clothing  and  rubbed  and  picked  them 
off  seriatim  as  quickly  as  possible.  It  is  really  astonishing  how 
such  small  bodies  can  contain  so  large  an  amount  of  ill  nature. 
They  not  only  bite,  but  twist  themselves  around  after  the  man- 
dibles are  inserted  to  produce  laceration  and  pain  more  than 
would  be  effected  by  the  wound."  These  savage  little  wanderers 
are  often  seen  moving  along  in  vast  armies,  and  look  as  they 
cross  a  path  like  a  brownish-red  band  two  or  three  inches  wide. 
Such  is  their  voracity,  and  such  multitudes  are  there,  that  they 
will,  during  a  single  night,  devour  the  larger  part  of  an  ox. 
They  are  the  plague  of  rats  and  reptiles  of  all  descriptions. 

Descending  the  heights  of  Tola  Mungongo  on  the  15th,  and 
passing  rapidly  across  the  lovely  valley  as  far  as  Cassange, 
Livingstone  met  again  the  kind  welcome  of  the  genial  and 
generous  Captain  Neves,  and  on  the  28t]i  he  met  the  young 
man  Cypriano,  who  had  so  kindly  come  to  his  assistance  on  the 
banks  of  the  Quango,  when  the  Bashange  disputed  his  right  to 
passage.  But  the  young  man  had  become  so  much  a  slave  of 
drink  that  he  had  hardly  means  to  afford  pleasant  entertainment. 
Already  the  traders  were  carrying  this  baneful  article  to  the 
distant  chiefs.     It  is  sad  indeed  that  with  the  van  of  civilization 


194 


THE   QUANGO   AGAIN. 


this  curse  of  the  world  must  ever  find  its  way,  sowing  in  every 
new-found  land  the  seeds  of  a  second  degradation,  deeper,  if 
possible,  and  more  hopeless  than  that  of  utter  ignorance  and 
superstition.  AVhile  the  anxious  laborer  thought  on  this  evil 
and  all  the  ills  of  Africa,  and  cast  his  thoughts  back  over  the 
strange  condition  of  Angola  under  Portuguese  rule,  he  stood 
again  by  the  banks  of  the  Quango,  arranging  to  enter  the  terri- 
tory of  the  Bashange,  who  had  learned  only  covetousness  and 
treachery  from  their  white  neighbors. 


MOLE  CKICKEiT. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

LONDA   OR    LINDA. 

lessons  of  Experience — Sausawe's  Demands—llis  Refusal — A  Blow  on  the  Beard 
— Revenge — Changing  the  Tune— Dandies  and  Belles — Lizards  and  Snakes — 
Seven  Thousand  Fowls  for  Ten  Dollars — Many  Village  Mania— The  Sea- 
sons—Sister of  Matianioo — An  Ox  or  a  Man— Strategy— Trial  for  Murder 
— Street  Fight— Dish  of  White  Ants— Lovely  Bed  of  Flowers— God  in  Nature 
—  A  Noble  Chief— Shinte's  Again — The  Leeba — Lite  Once  More — Buffalo 
Hunt — Libonta  Welcome — Thanksgiving  Service — A  Matrimon'al  Drawback 
— Capsized  in  the  Leeambye— Sekeletu  in  Full  Dress — The  True  Ancients  in 
White — Promising  Opening— Preparation  for  the  Journey — Going  Eastward — 
Parting  W'ords  of  Mainire— The  Tribute  of  Faithfulness. 

Experience  is  a  famous  teacher ;  its  tuition  has  much  to  do 
with  a  man's  comfort  anywhere,  particularly  in  Africa.  Dr. 
Livingstone  had  been  the  victim  of  the  border  chiefs  because 
he  was  not  absolutely  certain  that  he  could  be  anything  else; 
but  he  was  of  a  different  mind  now,  because  he  had  learned  that 
a  decided  independence  was  not  only  the  safest  course,  but  the 
kindest,  as  it  would  check  in  the  outset  the  aggressions  which 
no  amount  of  patience  could  satisfy.  Therefore,  when  he 
pitched  his  tent  among  the  Bashange — this  time  by  Sansawe's 
town — he  was  in  no  mood  to  put  up  with  the  covetous  imposi- 
tions of  that  presumptuous  gentleman.  The  party  was  hardly 
settled,  however,  before  he  made  his  appearance,  in  true  Balonda 
fashion,  mounted  on  his  carrier's  shoulders,  and  indulging  in 
any  quantity  of  palaver  ;  winding  up,  finally,  with  the  expected 
information,  that  he  would  return  in  the  evening  to  receive  his 
dues.  He  manifested  a  little  surprise  when  liis  supposed  victim 
replied,  with  rather  uncommon  boldness,  that  he  need  not  come 
unless  he  brought  with  him  a  present  of  a  fowl  and  some  eggs, 
as  a  chief  should.  In  the  evening  he  came,  in  his  wonted 
dignity,  and  after  visiting  the  camps  of  some  traders,  who  paid 
quite  extravagantly  for  his  favor,  made  his  respects  to  Dr. 
Livingstone  and  presented  "  two  cocks."     But  when    he  re- 

19G 


19Q  A   BLOW   ON   THE   BEARD. 

ceived  only  a  few  trifling  articles,  and  a  serious  lecture  in  the 
bargain,  he  was  in  a  very  unfriendly  humor.  The  quiet  indif- 
ference of  Livingstone  -was  a  hint,  however,  which  the  reputa- 
tion of  the  Makololo — a  number  of  whom  he  saw  about  hira, 
in  possession  of  first-rate  muskets — emphasized  quite  to  his 
satisfaction,  and  there  was  no  greater  trouble  than  his  harmless 
frown.  But  a  little  farthei*  on,  after  the  party  had  ascended 
from  the  valley  and  were  on  the  table  land  once  more,  they  met 
a  more  resolute  individual  in  the  person  of  the  head  man  of  a 
little  village,  where  they  had  been  detained  several  weeks  by 
the  sickness  of  Livingstone,  who  had  already  fallen  a  prey  to 
the  wasting  fevers  which  had  made  his  life  almost  a  burden  in 
this  country  a  year  before ;  and  besides  the  fevers  he  was  now 
afflicted  with  rheumatism.  It  was  hardly  possible  that  he 
should  be  anything  else  than  ill,  drenched  by  day  in  the  inces- 
sant rains,  and  sleeping  at  night  on  such  beds  as  they  were  able 
to  rake  up  of  the  saturated  earth  and  dripping  grass.  He  had 
been  forced  to  lie  by  many  days,  and  was  only  partially  recov- 
ered, when  the  incident  referred  to  occurred.  The  said  "  head 
man  "  had  come  to  his  camp  and  was  bargaining  and  quarrelling 
with  some  of  his  men,  when  one  of  them,  not  overly  burdened 
with  the  gentler  qualities,  administered  a  striking  rebuke  for 
some  offensive  speech.  Nothing  could  atone  for  the  "  blow  on 
the  beard."  The  more  the  party  yielded  the  more  he  de- 
manded, until  Livingstone  determined  to  do  no  more  and 
departed.  They  had  not  gone  very  far,  and  were  passing 
through  a  forest,  when  a  body  of  men  came  rushing  after  them 
and  initiated  an  affray  by  knocking  down  the  burdens  of  the 
men  in  the  rear.  In  an  instant  the  Makololo  were  on  their 
mettle  and  several  shots  were  fired,  and  the  two  parties  were 
taking  their  places  on  the  sides  of  the  path  for  more  serious 
work.  Hardly  able  to  walk,  Livingstone  staggered  quickly 
back  and  encountered  the  chief.  That  individual  was  hardly 
prepared  to  welcome  the  appearance  of  "a  revolver  with  six 
barrels  gaping  into  his  stomach,"  and  exhibited  a  singular  re- 
version of  feeling  instantly,  and,  tremblin*;  in  cvcrv  limb,  cried 
out,  "  Oh,  I  have  only  come  to  speak  with  von  I "  It  was 
hardly  neccs,':ary  for  the  traveller  to  insist  much  on  the  fright- 
ened mob's  immediate  departure,  and  our  party  passed  on  in 
safety. 


DANDIES   AND   BELLES.  197 

The  interminable  forests  and  flooded  streams,  and  the  stupid 
ignorance  of  the  people  who  were  found  living  in  the  gloomy 
recesses  of  the  country,  all  contributed  to  the  difficulty  of 
their  progress,  and  they  liad  not  yet  come  to  the  habitat  of  any 
interesting  specimens  of  animal  life.  After  crossing  the  Loa- 
jima,  the  party  made  a  little  "detour  southward,"  in  order  to 
get  off  of  the  path  of  traders.  Hardly  anything  is  more  dis- 
gusting and  provoking  than  the  air  of  importance  of  slightly 
informed  ])cop]c,  and  in  this  the  petty  African  chiefs  who  have 
had  some  little  intercourse  with  these  traders  are  perfect  masters. 
The  innocent  vanities  of  the  generous  inhabitants  of  the  more 
secluded  sections  were  rather  entertaining  than  otherwise.  It 
may  be  a  pleasing  bit  of  information  to  the  large  class  of  our 
countrymen  of  the  Beau  Hickman  stamp,  that  even  benighted 
Africa  is  well  supplied  with  dandies  of  as  various  whims  as 
those  who  dwell  in  the  clearer  light  of  American  civilization. 
There  is,  for  instance,  in  the  deep  forests  of  Africa,  the  musical 
dandy,  who,  wdth  the  daintiest  air,  thumbs  his  iron-keyed  in- 
strument in  matchless  hum-drum  the  night  long.  Then  there 
is  the  martial  dandy,  who,  like  his  American  counterpart,  de- 
lights in  the  display  of  soldierly  insignia  in  safe  distance  from 
scenes  of  strife.  And  there  is  the  eifeminate  dandy,  who  is 
always  seen  dandling  his  canary  in  a  cage.  And  the  dandy 
absolute,  "  par  excellence  "  in  the  list ;  an  aimless  fop,  who  de- 
lights in  the  display  of  himself,  with  "  lucubrated  hair  and 
ornaments  innumerable."  The  ladies,  too,  who  rejoice  in  their 
snowy  poodles,  may  be  pleased  to  know  that  their  sable  sisters, 
in  the  sequestered  glens  beneath  an  equatorial  sun,  arrange  their 
strands  of  beads  about  their  necks  with  greatest  skill,  and, 
esteeming  themselves  in  full  dress,  are  seen  to  simper  artfully 
while  they  fondle  their  charming  canine  "  pets."  Civilization 
cannot  claim  a  monopoly  of  the  ornaments  of  society.  For 
every  young  man  standing  on  a  corner  in  self-conscious  attitud- 
inizing, there  is  a  fellow,  quite  as  self-conscious  and  fixed  up  in 
his  way,  standing  about  the  paths  and  huts  of  Africa.  And  for 
every  woman  who  lavishes  caresses  and  baby  talk  on  kittens 
and  puppies,  there  is  in  Africa  a  maiden  or  childless  matron 
who  dandles  creatures  like  them  quite  as  fondly,  with  equal 
prodigality  of  gibberish  quite  as  sentimental.  It  is  so,  on  the 
word  of  a  serious  missionary,  just  as  we  write  it. 
10 


198  WORTH   OF   TEN   DOLLAES. 

Tlie  nearest  approach  to  beasts  of  prey  the  party  found,  before 
reaching  the  river  Moaraba,  which  they  crossed  on  the  7th  of 
May  (lat.  9°  38'  S.,  long.  20°  13'  34"  E.),  were  the  lizards, 
mice  and  serpents,  whose  peace  they  occasionally  disturbed  as 
they  struggled  through  the  grass  and  vines  which  lay  along  the 
route,  and  seemed  to  conspire  with  the  zigzag  paths  to  make  the 
traveller's  progress  as  slow  and  wearying  as  possible. 

There  was  one  consolation,  though,  in  the  delays  and  toilsome 
}>rogress :  food  was  cheaper  and  cheaper  the  farther  they  left  the 
borders  of  the  white  settlers.  For  the  value  of  a  penny  a  day 
fo«r  persons  could  live  on  the  fat  of  the  land.  Livingstone 
mentions  a  purchase  of  tobacco  which  Captain  Neves  made — 
three  hundred  and  eighty  pounds  for  two  pounds  sterling,  in 
Angola.  The  same  tobacco,  in  central  Londa,  would  suffice  to 
feed  seven  thousand  persons  one  day,  giving  each  person  a  Joicl 
and  fve  pounds  of  meal.  Seven  thousand  fowls  and  thirty-five 
thousand  pounds  of  meal  for  about  ten  dollars'  worth  of  tobacco ! 

One  of  the  most  common  annoyances  they  suffered  in  this 
journey  was  the  disposition  of  the  people  in  every  trifling  village 
to  detain  them.  This  was  a  modest  way  of  imposing  a  tax,  as, 
of  course,  the  delay  would  involve  a  certain  amount  of  expendi- 
ture. But  even  where  tlie  desire  was  in  pure  hospitality  it  was 
quite  as  positive  and  i)ersevering,  and  was  generally  pressed 
effectually,  because  the  furnishing  of  guides  was  conditioned  on 
pulimission.  Once  Livingstone  became  thoroughly  provoke<l, 
and  attempted  to  advance  without  the  guide.  It  might  have 
been'  well  enough  in  some  sections,  but  the  particular  locality  in 
which  he  chanced  to  be  restored  his  patience  thoroughly,  for 
after  striking  out  in  various  directions,  and  every  time  coming 
to  a  dead  halt  in  impassable  thickets,  he  gave  it  up. 

There  was  no  counting  the  villages.  The  African  has  a  re- 
markable eagerness  for  many  villages  :  there  are  no  large  towns. 
Everybody  seems  to  have  only  one  ambition,  and  that  is  to  have 
a  village.  If  only  a  man  may  have  a  few  huts  he  is  a  chief,  in 
his  own  eyes  at  least.  There  was  one  thing  which  made  tlie 
present  tour  more  unpleasant  than  those  in  which  he  Avas  pre- 
ceded by  messengers  of  the  chiefs,  who  had  formerly  been  sent 
to  notify  the  villages  of  the  approach  of  "  the  white  man."  The 
si<rht  of  a  white  man  alwavs  infuses  a  tremor  into  their  dark 


FEAR  OF   *  WHITE   MAN."  199 

bosoms,  and  in  every  case  of  the  kind  they  appeared  immensely 
relieved  when  he  had  fairly  passed  without  having  sprung  upon 
them.  In  the  villages  the  dogs  run  away  with  their  tails  be- 
tween their  legs,  as  if  they  had  seen  a  lion.  The  women  peer 
from  behind  the  walls  till  he  comes  near  them,  and  then  hastily 
dash  into  the  house.  When  a  little  child,  unconscious  of 
danger,  meets  you  in  the  street,  he  sets  up  a  scream  at  the  appari- 
tion, and  conveys  the  impression  [that  he  is  not  far  from  going 
into  fits.  Such  things  are  not  calculated  to  make  a  man  feel 
more  at  home  there  than  anywhere  else  ;  but  it  is  hardly  won- 
derful that  it  is  so.  A  white  man  must  be  a  singular  apparition 
indeed  to  those  poor  people,  and  the  more  terrible  because  all 
tliat  they  have  heard  of  white  people  has  been  of  a  sort  to  excite 
their  fears.  It  has  been  the  constant  study  of  the  Mambari  to 
prevent,  as  far  as  possible,  the  inhabitants  of  this  secluded 
region  ever  thinking  of  going  themselves  to  the  white  people. 
We  remember  that  the  Makololo  were  constantly  receiving 
warnings  in  which  the  white  people  on  the  coast  figured  as  very 
monsters. 

After  passing  lat.  12°,  they  began  to  enter  the  country  of 
animals,  but  they  were  very  shy,  as  is  generally  the  case  in 
Londa.  It  was  now  about  the  middle  of  winter.  Of  this 
season  Dr.  Livingstone  says :  "  The  country  at  this  time  is  cov- 
ered with  yellowish  grass  quite  dry.  Some  of  the  bushes  and 
trees  are  green ;  others  are  shedding  their  leaves,  the  young 
buds  pushing  off  the  old  foliage.  Trees,  which  in  the  south 
stand  bare  during  the  winter  months,  have  here  but  a  short 
period  of  leaflessness.  Occasionally,  however,  a  cold  north  wind 
comes  up  even  as  far  as  Cabango,  and  spreads  a  wintry  aspect 
on  all  the  exposed  vegetation.  The  tender  shoots  of  the  ever- 
green trees  on  the  south  side  become  as  if  scorched ;  the  leaves 
of  manioc,  pumpkins,  and  other  tender  plants  are  killed ;  while 
the  same  kinds,  in  spots  sheltered  by  forests,  continue  green 
through  the  whole  year.  All  the  interior  of  South  Africa  has 
a  distinct  winter  of  cold,  varying  in  intensity  with  the  latitudes. 
In  the  central  parts  of  the  Cape  Colony  the  cold  in  the  winter 
is  often  severe,  and  the  ground  is  covered  with  snow.  At 
Kuruman  snow  seldom  falls,  but  the  frost  is  keen.  There  is 
frost  even  as  far  as  the  Chobe,  and  a  partial  winter  in  the 


200  SISTER   OP   MATIAMOO. 

Barotso  valley,  but  beyond  the  Orange  river  we  never  have 
cold  and  damp  combined.  Indeed,  a  shower  of  rain  seldom  or 
never  falls  during  winter,  and  hence  the  healthiness  of  the  Bech- 
uana  climate.  From  the  Barotse  valley  northward  it  is  ques- 
tionable if  it  ever  freezes ;  but,  during  the  prevalence  of  the 
south  wind,  the  thermometer  sinks  as  low  as  42°,  and  conveys 
the  impression  of  bitter  cold."  "  But/'  says  he,  "  nothing  can 
exceed  the  beauty  of  the  change  from  the  wintry  appearance  to 
that  of  spring  at  Kolobeng.  Previous  to  the  commencement 
of  the  rains,  an  easterly  wind  blows  strongly  by  day  but  dies  away 
at  night.  The  clouds  collect  in  increasing  masses,  and  relieve 
in  some  measure  the  bright  glare  of  the  southern  sun.  The 
wind  dries  up  everything,  and  when  at  its  greatest  strength  is 
hot  and  raises  clouds  of  dust.  The  general  temperature  during 
the  day  rises  above  96°  :  then  showers  begin  to  fall ;  and  if  the 
ground  is  but  once  well  soaked  with  a  good  day's  rain,  the  change 
produced  is  marvellous.  In  a  day  or  two  a  tinge  of  green  is  ap- 
parent all  over  the  landscape,  and  in  five  or  six  days  the  fresh 
leaves  sprouting  forth  and  the  young  grass  shooting  up  give  an 
appearance  of  spring  which  it  requires  weeks  of  a  colder  cli- 
mate to  produce." 

One  of  the  pleasantest  episodes  of  this  journey,  so  full  of 
vexatious  impositions  and  shrewd  attentions,  was  the  real  kind- 
ness of  a  female  chief,  sister  of  the  late  Matiamoo,  whose  village 
was  next  en  route  from  the  one  in  which  Dr.  Livingstone's 
truly  Scottish  effort  at  independence  was  so  flat  a  failure.  She 
was  so  ladylike  and  graceful  in  her  attentions  and  so  liberal, 
that  Livingstone  felt  the  acquaintance  almost  a  compensation 
for  the  former  incivilities.  Real  courtesy  is  not  confined  to 
courts  and  city  mansions,  nor  the  peculiar  charm  of  civilization. 
There  is  a  civility  of  the  soul  which  is  more  delicate  and  helpful 
than  the  formalities  of  most  elaborate  attentions,  and  it  is  a 
beauty  of  God's  creation  that  this  sweet  blossom  of  his  Spirit 
begems  the  gloomiest  as  the  brightest  places. 

But  while  the  honest  courtesies  of  Nya-ka-longa  were  sugges- 
tive of  the  greater  comfort  and  easier  progress  which  awaited 
them  in  the  country  of  old  friends,  to  which  they  were  drawing 
near,  they  were  destined  to  meet  at  least  one  other  serious  pro- 
vocation.    At  the  town  of  a  chief  named  Kawawa  they  were 


DEMAND  OF   "A   MAN."  201 

met  hj  a  very  unc^remoaious  demand  for  "  an  ox  or  a  man." 
This  was  a  notoriously  uncivil  man  to  all  travellers ;  he  had 
heard  of  the  Chetoques  having  forced  the  party  to  give  them 
an  ox  as  they  went  toward  the  coast  the  previous  year,  and, 
encouraged  by  their  success,  presumed'^to  attempt  a  similar  levy, 
unconscious  of  the  change  which  had  come  over  the  spirit  of 
the  white  man  in  such  matters.  The  history  of  this  alfair,  as 
given  by  Dr.  I^ivingstone  himself,  is  so  graphic  and  so  illustra- 
tive or  African  life  that  we  prefer  to  allow  him  to  put  it  in  his 
own  way.  "  To  this  provoking  demand/'  says  he,  "  I  replied 
that  the  goods  were  my  property  and  not  his ;  that  I  would 
never  have  it  said  that  a  white  man  had  paid  tribute  to  a 
black,  and  that  I  should  cross  the  Kasai  in  spite  of  him.  He 
ordered  his  people  to  arm  themselves,  and  when  some  of  my 
men  saw  them  rushing  for  their  bows,  arrows  and  spears,  they 
became  somewhat  panic-stricken.  I  ordered  them  to  move 
away,  and  not  to  fire  unless  Kawawa's  people  struck  the  first 
blow.  I  took  the  lead,  and  expected  them  all  to  follow,  as 
they  usually  had  done,  but  many  of  my  men  remained  behind. 
When  I  knew  this,  I  jumped  off  the  ox  and  made  a  rush  to 
them  with  the  revolver  in  my  hand.  Kawawa  ran  away  among 
his  people,  and  they  turned  their  backs  too.  I  shouted  to  my 
men  to  take  up  their  luggage  and  march ;  some  did  so  with 
alacrity,  feeling  that  they  had  disobeyed  orders  by  remaining  ; 
but  one  of  them  refused,  and  was  preparing  to  fire  at  Kawawa, 
until  I  gave  him  a  punch  on  the  head  with  the  pistol^  and  made 
him  go  too.  I  felt  here,  as  elsewhere,  that  subordination  must 
be  maintained  at  all  risks.  We  all  moved  into  the  for&st,  the 
people  of  Kawawa  standing  about  a  hundred  yards  off,  gazing, 
but  not  firing  a  shot  or  an  arrow.  But  he  was  not  to  be  balked 
of  his  supposed  rights  by  the  unceremonious  way  in  which  they 
left  him  ;  for,  when  they  had  reache<^l  the  ford  of  the  Kasai, 
about  ten  miles  distant,  they  found  that  he  had  sent  four  of 
his  men  with  orders  to  the  ferrymen  to  refuse  passage.  They 
were  informed  that  they  must  deliver  up  all  the  articles  men- 
tione<l,  and  one  of  the  men  besides.  This  demand  for  one  of 
the  number  always  nettled  ever}'  heart.  The  canoes  were  taken 
away  before  their  eyes,  and  they  were  supposed  to  be  quite  help- 
less without  them,  at  a  river  a  p-ood  hundred  vards  broad  and 


202  TRIAL   FOR  MURDER. 

very  deep.  Pitsane  stood  on  the  bank,  gazing  witli  apparent 
indifference  on  the  stream,  and  made  an  accurate  observation 
of  where  the  canoes  were  hidden  among  the  reeds.  The  ferry- 
men casually  asked  one  of  my  Batoka  if  they  had  rivers  in  his 
country,  and  he  answered  with  truth,  'No,  we  have  none.' 
Kawawa's  people  then  felt  sure  they  could  not  cross.  They 
thought  of  swimming  when  they  were  gone ;  but  after  it  was 
dark,  by  the  unasked  loan  of  one  of  the  hidden  canoes,  they 
soon  were  snug  in  bivouac  on  the  southern  bank  of  the  Kasai. 
They  left  some  beads  as  payment  for  some  meal  which  had  been 
presented  by  the  ferrymen ;  and,  the  canoe  having  been  left  on 
their  own  side  of  the  river,  Pitsane  and  his  companions  laughed 
uproariously  at  the  disgust  our  enemies  would  feel,  and  their 
perplexity  as  to  who  had  been  our  paddler  across.  They  were 
quite  sure  that  Kawawa  would  imagine  that  they  had  been 
ferried  over  by  his  own  people,  and  would  be  divining  to  find 
out  who  had  done  the  deed.  When  ready  to  depart  in  the 
morning,  Kawawa's  people  appeared  on  the  opposite  heights, 
and  could  scarcely  believe  their  eyes  when  they  saw  we  were 
prepared  to  stajrt  away  to  the  south.  At  last  one  of  them  called 
out,  'Ah!  ye  are  bad;'  to  which  Pitsane  and  his  companions 
retorted,  '  Ah  !  ye  are  good,  and  we  thank  you  for  the  loan  of 
your  canoe.' " 

In  the  town  of  this  chief  Livingstone  witnessed  a  specimen 
of  justice,  which  illustrates  one  feature  of  the  misery  of  the 
people  whose  whole  destinies  depend  on  the  will  of  petty  chiefs 
as  distinguished  for  heartlessness  as  for  ignorance.  The  chief 
was  judge,  jury,  and  attorney,  all  in  himself.  The  arraigned 
was  a  woman  who  was  accused  of  having  caused  the  death  of 
another  woman.  The  accuser  was  telling  her  story,  when  the 
"  court,"  who  had  paid  no  attention  to  the  statement,  except 
simply  to  notice  the  nature  of  the  charge,  suddenly  burst  forth, 
"  You  have  killed  one  of  my  children,  yours  are  mine,  bring 
them  all  to  me,"  and  the  poor  woman  had  to  obey  and  see  all 
of  her  children  pass  into  slavery.  AVhile  these  tribes  mani- 
fested a  somewhat  belligerent  spirit  to  our  party,  they  are  gen- 
erally quite  disinclined  to  settle  tiieir  personal  disputes  by  force 
of  arms.  But  now  and  then  individuals  among  the  Balonda 
arc  known  to  clinch.     On  one  occasion,  an  old  woman  standing 


A   FIST   FIGHT. 


203 


by  Dr.  Livingstone's  aimp  continued  to  belabor  a  good-looking 
young  man  for  hours  with  her  tx)ngue.  Irritated  at  last,  he 
uttered  some  words  of  impatience,  when  another  man  sprang 
at  him,  exclaiming,  "  How  dare  you  curse  my  '  Mama  ? '  "  They 
caught  each  other,  and  a  sort  of  pushing,  dragging,  wrestling 
match  ensued.  The  old  woman  who  had  been  the  cause  of  the 
affray  wished  us  to  interfere,  and  the  combatants  themselves 
hoped  as  much ;  but  we,  preferring  to  remain  neutral,  allowed 
them  to  fight  it  out.  It  ended  by  one  falling  under  the  other, 
both,  from  their  scuffling,  being  in  a  state  of  nudity.  They 
picked  up  their  clothing  and  ran  off  in  different  directions,  eacli 
threatening  to  bring  his  gun  and  settle  the  dispute  in  mortal 
combat.  Only  one,  however,  returned,  and  the  old  woman  con- 
tinued her  scolding  till  my  men,  fairly  tired  of  her  tongue,  or- 
dered her  to  be  gone.  This  trifling  incident  was  one  of  interest 
to  me,  for,  during  the  whole  period  of  my  residence  in  the  Bec- 
huana  country,  I  never  saw  unarmed  men  strike  each  other. 
Their  disputes  are  usually  conducted  with  great  volubility  and 
noisy  swearing,  but  they  generally  terminate  by  both  parties 
bursting  into  a  laugh. 

Among  the  many  delicacies  with  which  this  wonderful  land 
tempts  the  epicure  is  a  singular  little  "  white  ant,"  which  many 
of  the  natives  consider  good  enough  for  anybody.  They  are 
unseen,  generally,  and  only  when  decided  to  colonize  do  they 
rush  out  of  holes,  in  streams,  and  enter  on  a  tour  of  insjiec- 
tion ;  when  they  have  discovered  a  desirable  location,  they 
alight  and  with  singular  facility  "bend  up  their  tails,  unhook 
their  wings  "  (which  may  be  removed  from  the  body  without 
any  inconvenience  if  turned  forward),  and  begin  with  greater 
diligence  the  erection  of  their  homes.  When  these  colonies 
are  ready  to  start  for  a  new  district,  they  are  nothing  daunted 
even  by  fire,  but  pass  through  it  with  a  heroism  worthy  of 
more  elevated  beings.  They  are  caught  by  the  natives  (who 
are  quite  skilful  in  brushing  them  into  vessels)  and  roasted,  in 
which  state  they  are  considered  better  than  the  choicest  things 
the  "  white  man  "  can  produce. 

South  of  the  Kasai  they  traversed  extensive  plains  covered 
with  beautiful  flowers  and  birds.  The  flowers  were  of  tiniest 
dimensions  and  most  exquisite  delicacy,  and  had  the  appearance 


204  GOD   IN   NATURE, 

ill  many  places  of  the  richest  carpet.  A  wonderful  thing  about 
this  splendid  fabric  of  nature's  weaving  was  that  it  displayed 
the  phenomenon  of  successive  bands,  perhaps  a  hundred  yards 
in  width,  these  bands  all  of  different  hues.  In  one  the  golden 
hue  prevailed,  and  the  flowers  varied  in  shade  from  "  palest 
lemon  to  richest  orange."  Another  band  was  blue ;  in  shade 
from  the  lightest  tints  to  the  deepest  color.  One  flower  on 
these  plains  attracted  particular  attention.  Being  elevated  but 
slightly  by  its  tiny  stalk,  this  little  gem  seems  to  be  set  in  the 
ground  ;  "  its  leaves  are  covered  with  reddish  hairs,"  out  of  the 
tips  of  which  exudes  a  fluid,  clear  and  glutinous,  which  glistens 
in  the  sunlight  like  drops  of  dew  or  richer  pearls.  Truly  it  Ls 
wonderful  how  richly  and  how  skilfully  the  great  Architect  and 
Builder  of  our  terrestrial  home  has  wrought  of  all  things  a  para- 
dise for  us,  whose  wealth  and  beauty  are  confined  to  no  single 
zone,  and  are  inexhaustible,  though  we  explore  the  sea  or  land 
or  rise  amid  the  stars  or  delve  in  deepest  earth.  And  it  is 
wonderful  how  in  it  all  he  hath  wrought  his  own  image,  and 
by  all  things  teacheth  of  himself.  There  are  steadfast  moun- 
tains, which  tejl  of  strength ;  and  flowers,  of  tenderness.  There 
are  oceans  whase  unvarying  ebb  and  flow  murmur  of  eternity. 
The  stars,  shining  everywhere,  suggest  his  omnipresence.  The 
sun,  ruling  all  the  realms,  proclaims  his  authority.  And 
there  are  encircling  heavens  which  hint  of  his  encircling  care, 
while  all  things  speak  of  goodness.  And,  thanks  be  to  God, 
nature  tells  all  the  story,  in  Africa  as  in  America.  It  is  only 
lefl  for  the  special  deed  of  grace  to  spread  its  power  abroad,  cor- 
recting the  special  blindness  of  man  incurred  by  guilt ;  then 
God's  likeness  shall  be  seen  and  his  glory  stand  revealed  in  all 
his  works. 

Livingstone  became  convinced  at  this  time  that  the  latitude 
of  Lake  Dilolo  is  really  the  dividing  line  of  the  waters ;  tlie 
natives  had  noticed  this  and  remarked  it  to  him  in  advance  of 
his  own  investigations  indeed.  lie  had  suffered  his  hundrexl 
and  twenty-seventh  attack  of  fever  on  the  beautiful  plains  of 
Kasai  and  was  so  feeble  that  he  could  hardly  walk,  and  la- 
mented his  inability  to  examine  carefully  a  region  which  he 
considered  so  exceedingly  important.  But  his  sufferings  were 
too  great,  and  the  additional  anxiety  wliich   the  vomiting  of 


KATEMA. 


A   NOBLE  CHIEF.  207 

blood  awakened  made  it  exceedingly  desirable  to  advance  with 
as  little  delay  as  possible.  Making  all  possible  expedition,  all 
his  wonderful  energy  and  strength  of  will  need  to  be  in  constant 
exertion  against  the  depressing  influence  of  the  dreary  flat 
country  with  its  deep  forest  gloom.  Possessed  of  that  nature 
which  finds  congenial  companionship  in  the  bold  and  beautiful 
mountain  scenery,  and  in  the  wide  ever-heaving  and  foaming 
ocean,  there  was  no  prison-house  conceivable  more  terrible  than 
such  dull  and  dark  monotony.  And  with  the  refined  tastes  of 
thorough  culture  he  could  not  submit  to  the  isolation  of  society 
so  absolutely  wanting  in  the  slightest  shadow  of  congeniality, 
except  in  the  most  entire  obedience  to  duty  and  unreserved  con- 
secration of  soul  and  body  to  others.  Such  a  life  is  noble  and 
sweetened  by  the  love  of  Christ,  but  it  is  still  a  life  of  pain. 
Self-immolation  may  be  cordial  and  Christ-like,  but  it  is 
agonizing. 

Leaving  the  Lake  Dilolo  by  toilsome  marches,  the  party  at 
length  entered  the  friendly  village  of  Katema,  on  tlie  old  route, 
the  12th  of  June.  He  had  now  been  three  years  away  from  the 
Cape.  They  were  no  longer  troubled  by  unkind  impositions ; 
the  people  everywhere  manifested  much  sympathy  and  respect 
Katema  inspired  Dr.  Livingstone  with  real  respect  for  him  by 
tlie  generous  and  manly  bearing  which  distinguished  him  in 
tlieir  intercourse.  He  says :  "  He  desired  me  to  rest  myself  and 
eat  abundantly,  and  took  care  to  see  that  I  had  the  means  of 
doing  so.  When  he  visited  our  encampment,  I  presented  him 
with  a  cloak  of  red  baize,  ornamented  with  gold  tinsel,  which 
cost  thirty  shillings,  according  to  the  promise  I  had  made  in 
going  to  Londa ;  also  a  cotton  robe,  both  large  and  small 
beads,  an  iron  spoon,  and  a  tin  pannikin  containing  a  quarter 
of  a  pound  of  powder.  He  seemed  greatly  pleased  with  the 
liberality  shown,  and  assured  me  that  the  way  was  mine,  and 
that  no  one  should  molest  me  in  it  if  he  could  help  it.  We 
were  informed  by  Shakatwala  that  the  chief  never  used  any 
part  of  a  present  before  making  an  offer  of  it  to  his  mother, 
or  the  departed  spirit  to  whom  he  prayed.  Katema  asked  if 
I  could  not  make  a  dress  for  him  like  the  one  I  wore,  so  that 
he  might  appear  as  a  white  man  when  any  stranger  visited  him. 
One  of  the  councillors,  imagining  that  he  ought  to  second  tliis 


208 


THE   LEEBA. 


by  begging,  Katema  checked  liim  by  saying,  '  Whatever  strangers 
give,  be  it  little  or  much,  I  always  receive  it  with  thankfulness, 
and  never  trouble  them  for  more.'  On  departing,  he  mounted 
on  the  shoulders  of  his  spokesman,  as  the  most  dignified  mode 
of  retiring." 

An  equally  pleasant  reception  was  waiting  for  him  at  Shinte's 
town.  And  it  delighted  his  heart  to  observe  that  the  infor- 
mation he  was  able  to  give  that  chief  of  the  uses  to  which  slaves 
were  put  in  Angola,  and  the  proof  he  gave  of  the  extortions 
of  the  Mambari,  seemed  to  open  his  eyes  to  the  evil  of  allow- 
ing his  subjects  carried  away  into  bondage.  And  parting  on 
good  terms  with  him  and  his  people,  he  journeyed  on  to  the  town 
of  his  sister,  through  whose  importunities  he  had  formed  the 
acquaintance  of  Shinte  as  he  passed  up  the  country.  Procuring 
canoes  of  this  lady,  the  party  launched  once  more  on  the  noble 
Leeba,  whose  charming  scenery  had  never  faded  from  their 
tlioughts  in  all  their  Avanderings.  Everything  was  life  along 
those  banks ;  all  the  old  familiar  game  and  the  more  savage 
beasts  made  their  appearance  frequently,  but  were  too  cautious 
to  come  within  the  range  of  the  guns.  The  sight  of  so  many 
glossy  hides  and  tossing  antlers  excited  a  craving  for  "  a  good 
meal  of  meat."  His  tooth  became  so  eager  for  service  in  that 
line  that  Livingstone  began  to  look  rather  undecidedly  on  his 
faithful  old  ox,  "  Sinbad,"  which  had  carried  him  so  many  hun- 
dred miles.  But  the  Makololo  had  come  to  count  Sinbad  as 
one  of  the  party,  and  their  gentle  protest  was  allowed  to  prevail. 
The  faithful  creature  fell  a  victim  to  the  tsetse  though  and 
ended  his  days  at  Naliele  in  peace. 

Though  now  surrounded  by  game,  the  party  had  passed  the 
confluence  of  the  Leeba  and  Lceambye  before  they  had  a  feast  of 
flesh.  This  was  given  them  by  some  hunters  whom  they  met 
Livingstone  had  been  so  long  out  of  the  land  of  game  that  lie 
had  lost  his  skill  and  missed  everything  he  shot  at.  About 
this  time,  however,  he  determined  to  try  and  retrieve  his  repu- 
tation with  the  gun  ;  and  having  wounded  a  zebra,  he  slowly 
followed  along  on  the  track  of  his  men  who  had  given  it  chaso^ 
While  thus  alone,  he  suddenly  discovered  a  single  buffalo,  a 
huge  bull,  rushing  madly  toward  him.  He  saw  only  one  tree 
on  the  plain,  and  that  some  distance  off;  there  was  evidently  no 


MAKOLOLO  RECEPTION.  209 

escape,  and  he  calmly  raised  his  gun  and  waited  for  the  monster 
to  come  near  enough  for  a  fatal  shot  in  the  forehead.  We  have 
noticed  before  his  opinion  of  this  animal.  Nothing  is  more 
trying  than  just  such  a  position  awaiting  such  a  charge.  But 
the  moment  came.  The  aim  was  true  and  the  tremendous  ani- 
mal bounded  aside  and  rushing  to  the  brink  of  the  river  fell 
dead.  Livingstone  felt  it  to  be  an  occasion  for  gratitude  to 
God  that  his  life  had  been  preserved. 

Tlie  arrival  at  Libonta  was  indeed  a  great  occasion.  This,  it 
will  be  remembered,  is  the  border  town  of  the  Makololo  author- 
ity. They  had  never  been  received  before  with  such  demon- 
strations of  joy.  Livingstone's  description  of  this  scene  is  full 
of  interest.  "  The  women,"  says  he,  "  came  forth  to  meet  us, 
making  their  curious  dancing  gestures  and  loud  lulliloos.  Some 
carried  a  mat  and  stick,  in  imitation  of  a  spear  and  shield. 
Others  rushed  forward  and  kissed  the  hands  and  cheeks  of  the 
different  persons  of  their  acquaintance  among  us,  raising  such  a 
dust  that  it  was  quite  a  relief  to  get  to  the  men  assembled  and 
sitting  with  proper  African  decorum  in  the  kotla.  We  were 
looked  upon  as  men  risen  from  the  dead,  for  the  most  skilful 
of  their  diviners  had  pronounced  us  to  have  perished  long  ago. 
After  many  expressions  of  joy  at  meeting,  I  arose,  and,  thank- 
ing them,  explained  the  causes  of  our  long  delay,  but  left  the 
report  to  be  made  by  their  own  countrymen.  Formerly  I  had 
been  the  chief  speaker,  now  I  would  leave  the  task  of  speaking 
to  them.  Pitsane  then  delivered  a  speech  of  upward  of  an  hour 
in  length,  giving  a  highly  flattering  picture  of  the  whole  jour- 
ney, of  the  kindness  of  the  white  men  in  general,  and  of  Mr. 
Gabriel  in  particular.  He  concluded  by  saying  that  I  had  done 
more  for  them  than  they  expected  ;  that  I  had  not  only  opened 
up  a  path  for  them  to  the  other  white  men,  but  conciliated 
all  the  chiefs  along  the  route.  The  oldest  man  present  rose 
and  answered  this  speech,  and,  among  other  things,  alluded  to 
the  disgust  I  felt  at  the  Makololo  for  engaging  in  marauding 
expeditions  against  Lechulatebe  and  Sebolamakwaia,  of  which 
we  had  heard  from  the  first  persons  we  met,  and  which  my  com- 
panions most  energetically  denounced  as  '  mashue  hela,'  en- 
tirely bad.  He  entreated  me  not  to  lose  heart,  but  to  reprove 
Sekeletu  as  my  child.     Another  old   man   followed  with  the 


2l0>  THANKSGIVING  8EEVICE. 

same  entreaties.  The  following  day  we  observed  as  our  thanks- 
giving to  God  for  his  goodness  in  bringing  us  all  back  in 
safety  to  our  friends.  My  men  decked  themselves  out  in  their 
best,  and  I  found  that,  although  their  goods  were  finished,  they 
had  managed  to  save  suits  of  European  clothing,  which,  being 
M'hite,  with  their  red  caps,  gave  them  rather  a  dashing  ap- 
pearance. They  tried  to  walk  like  the  soldiers  they  had  seen 
in  Loanda,  and  called  themselves  my  'braves'  (batlabani). 
Daring  the  service  they  all  sat  with  their  guns  over  their 
shoulders,  and  excited  the  unbounded  admiration  of  the  women 
and  children." 

It  was  a  scene  for  angels'  eyes;  that  good  man  pointing 
those  poor  heathen  away  from  their  own  prowess  and  their 
charms  and  himself  to  God's  goodness  in  returning  them  safely, 
after  so  long  a  time  and  such  hardships.  They  heard  him 
gladly,  and  were  lavish  of  gifts ;  almost  every  day  oxen  were 
slaughtered.  They  manifested  no  concern  about  gifts  for  them- 
selves ;  they  were  only  glad  to  see  the  whole  party  back  safely, 
and  were  immediately  engaged  in  collecting  tusks  for  a  second 
journey. 

The  rejoicing  of  the  men,  after  so  long  an  absence,  at  being 
once  more  in  their  own  country,  had  some  drawbacks  in  cer- 
tain changes  that  time  had  wrought.  Their  wives  had  in  many 
instances  grown  weary  of  watching,  and  found  a  solace  for  their 
grief  in  the  wedded  love  of  other  men.  The  faithful  Mashuana 
was  one  of  the  disappointed  ones,  and  he  contradicted  his  philo- 
sophic declaration,  "  Wives  are  plentiful  as  grass ;  I  can  get  an- 
other ;  she  may  go,"  by  muttering  immediately,  ''  If  I  had  that 
fellow,  I  would  open  his  ears  for  him."  For  some  of  the  poor 
fellows  who  had  thus  lost  their  only  wives,  Livingstone  inter- 
ceded with  the  chief  and  had  them  repossessed  of  their  loving 
spouses;  others  he  comforted  with  the  reminder,  that  after  their 
loss  they  still  had  more  wives  than  he.  But  that  was  an  unsatis- 
factory reflection,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  "  while  they  were 
toiling  another  was  devouring  their  corn." 

On  the  13th  of  August,  the  party  left  Naliele  and  were  glid- 
ing along  very  quietly  when,  most  unexpectedly,  they  were  re- 
minded of  the  fact  that  they  were  no  longer  in  the  lifeless  border 
region.     The  hippopotamus  which  struck  the  boat  lifted  it  quite 


GRAND    GATHERING   AT   LINYANTT.  211 

out  of  the  water  and  hustled  the  whole  party  out  most  uncere- 
moniously, and  looking  back,  quite  indifferently,  seemed  to  ask 
derisively,  "  What  has  happene<l  ?  " 

The  river  villages  had  much  the  appearance  of  two  years  be- 
fore. The  entire  descent  of  the  Leeambye  was  a  sort  of  ova- 
tion because  of  the  joy  of  the  villagers.  There  was  another 
grand  gathering  at  Linyanti.  And  the  "  braves,"  "  the  true 
ancients,  who  had  seen  wonderful  things,"  told  their  story  to 
their  hearts'  delight.  The  facts  had  lost  nothing  by  the  way ; 
facts  hardly  ever  seem  to  be  diminished  by  repetition.  Seke- 
letu  created  a  decided  sensation  when  he  appeared  in  his  colonel's 
uniform.  The  presents  of  strange  and  wonderful  things  were 
received  as  unquestionable  evidences  of  the  truth  of  the  most 
marvellous  accounts  which  the  man  could  give.  But  when 
the  braves  appeared  in  their  white  suits,  and  sat  in  the  circles 
with  their  guns  resting  on  their  shoulders  like  real  "  braves," 
it  was  a  signal  for  the  delight  of  wives  and  the  envy  of  women 
generally.  The  old  looked  serious,  the  young  -looked  delighted. 
Events  were  pointing  toward  the  grandeur  which  no  tribe  could 
hope  to  rival.     The  delight  was  innocent  and  commendable. 

In  looking  back  on  his  journey  from  Linyanti,  Livingstone 
felt  that  there  was  indeed  a  great  obstacle  to  missionary  enter- 
prises in  the  character  of  the  forests,  tlie  denseness  and  rankness 
of  the  growth,  and  in  the  floods  which  occasion  such  virulent 
fevers.  But  he  believed,  nevertheless,  that  the  interior  of  this 
country  presents  much  more  inviting  fields  for  missionary  labor 
than  the  western  coast,  where  successful  stations  have  been  so 
long  in  operation.  Though  he  suffered  so  greatly  himself,  I 
could  easily  see  how  the  habits  of  ordinary  missionary  life  would 
protect  a  man  against  such  ills  in  large  measure.  Comparing 
the  interior  with  the  west  coast,  he  says :  "  There  the  fevers  are 
much  more  virulent  and  more  speedily  fatal  than  here,  for  from 
8°  south  they  almost  invariably  take  the  intermittent  or  least 
fatal  type ;  and  their  effect  being  to  enlarge  the  spleen,  a  com- 
plaint which  is  best  treated  by  a  change  of  climate,  we  have  the 
remedy  at  hand  by  passing  the  20th  parallel  on  our  way  south. 
But  I  am  not  to  be  understood  as  intimating  that  any  of  the 
numerous  tribes  are  anxious  for  instruction  :  they  are  not  the 
inquiring  spirits  we  read  of  in  other  countries ;  they  do  not  de- 


212  PLANS   FOR  THE   FUTURE. 

sire  the  gospel,  because  they  know  nothing  about  either  it  or 
its  benefits  ;  but  there  is  no  impediment  in  the  way  of  instruc- 
tion. Every  head  man  would  be  ptoud  of  a  European  visitor 
or  resident  in  his  territory,  and  there  is  perfect  security  for  life 
and  property  all  over  the  interior  country.  The  great  barriers 
which  have  kept  Africa  shut  are  the  unhealthiness  of  the  coast, 
and  the  exclusive,  illiberal  disposition  of  the  border  tribes.  It 
has  not  within  the  historic  period  been  cut  into  by  deep  arms 
of  the  sea,  and  only  a  small  fringe  of  its  population  have  come 
into  contact  with  the  rest  of  mankind.  Race  has  much  to  do 
in  the  present  circumstances  of  nations ;  yet  it  is  probable  that 
the  unhealthy  coast-climate  has  reacted  on  the  people,  and  aided 
both  in  perpetuating  their  own  degradation  and  preventing 
those  more  inland  from  having  intercourse  with  the  rest  of  the 
world." 

May  we  not  hope  that  the  growing  interest  in  this  vast  de- 
graded continent  will  overcome  such  barriers,  and  establish  such 
communication  with  the  various  tribes  of  the  interior  as  will 
make  the  most  abundant  labors  for  their  conversion  not  only 
possible  but  attractive?  It  is  only  just  to  the  missionary,  that 
we  remember,  in  the  history  of  the  explorer,  that  Dr.  Living- 
stone was  not  spending  his  life  in  idle,  aimless  wanderings, 
through  any  love  of  adventure  or  devotion  only  to  science,  but 
that  he  might  open  a  highway  to  the  interior  of  Africa,  in  order 
that  he  might  establish  a  mission  station  there  on  a  permanent 
basis. 

In  pursuance  of  the  idea  which  had  affected  somewhat  his 
action  in  returning  directly  from  Loanda  to  Linyanti,  he  now 
decided  to  follow  the  Zambesi  to  the  eastern  coast,  and  was 
particularly  encouraged  to  do  this,  as  there  was  a  good  prospect 
of  water  facilities  all  the  way.  In  the  midst  of  the  prepara- 
tions for  this  new  journey,  Livingstone  found  abundant  employ- 
ment instructing  the  people  and  healing  their  sick,  and  seeking 
to  reform  their  ideas  according  to  the  Christian  standard  as  far 
as  could  be.  But  his  labor  was  very  discouraging,  but  still  was 
not  entirely  without  effect.  Sometimes  he  was  greatly  per- 
plexed, but  at  last  could  only  remember  the  darkness  and  dcad- 
ness  of  the  unregenerate  soul,  and  remember  the  heathen 
gloom.    The  greatness  of  the  undertaking  argued  its  importance, 


THE   TRIBUTE  TO   FAITHFULNESS.  213 

the  discouragements  of  it  called  for  prayer.  There  was  no  ex- 
cuse ibr  retreat.  His  hand  was  on  the  plough :  he  would  not 
look  back. 

"  The  mother  of  Sekcletu  prepared  a  bag  of  ground-nuts,  by- 
frying  them  in  cream  with  a  little  salt,  forming  a  kind  of  sand- 
wiches, which  constitute  a  dish  which  the  ISIakololo  consider 
fit  for  a  king."  Sekeletu  appointed  a  man  named  Sehcebu  and 
Kanyati  to  head  the  party  which  should  attend  him.  Mamire, 
who  had  married  the  mother  of  Sekeletu,  called  for  a  parting 
word.  "  You  are,"  said  he,  "  going  among  a  people  who  can- 
not be  trusted  because  we  have  used  them  badly ;  but  you  go 
with  a  different  message  from  any  they  have  heard  before,  Jesus 
will  be  with  you  and  help  you  though  among  enemies,  and  if 
he  carries  you  safely  and  brings  you  and  Ma  Robert  back  again, 
I  shall  say  he  has  conferred  a  great  favor  on  me.  May  we  ob- 
tain a  path  whereby  we  may  visit  and  be  visited  by  other  tribes 
and  by  white  men."  This  was  the  most  influential  man  in  the 
tribe,  and  his  interest  in  the  enterprise  of  Livingstone  was  cer- 
tainly encouraging. 

He  not  only  gave  his  blessing  and  his  kind  encouragement  in 
words,  but  added,  "  And  as  a  man  wishes,  of  course,  to  appear 
among  his  friends  after  a  long  absence  with  something  of  his 
own  to  show,  the  whole  of  the  ivory  in  the  country  is  yours, 
so  you  must  take  as  much  as  you  can,  and  Sekeletu  will  furnish 
you  men  to  carry  it."  Such  was  the  confidence  and  love  which 
filled  the  breasts  of  this  people  for  a  man  who  in  all  the  years 
of  his  intercourse  with  them  had  been  uniformly  consistent  in 
his  own  life  and  devoted  to  their  welfare ;  a  people  by  no 
means  stupid,  or  given  to  hasty  confidences,  the  most  formid- 
able tribe  in  all  southern  Africa,  and  the  most  warlike.  As 
the  reward  of  his  faithfulness.  Dr.  Livingstone  was  thus  adopted 
by  the  children  of  the  wilderness,  and  was  allowed  to  employ 
their  own  energies  and  resources  in  opening  a  way  for  Christianity. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

THE    NEW    EXPEDITION. 

.aekeletu's  Kindness— Explanation  of  it — Providence  in  his  Work — November 
3, 1855 — Terrible  Storm — Two  Hundred  Men  in  Line — The  Niagara  of  Africa 
— Victoria  Falls — Rainbow  and  Superstition — The  Batoka — A  Network  of 
llivers— The  Explanation — Traditions — The  First  White  Man — Batoka  Chiefs 
— Batoka  Rebels — The  Eastern  Ridge — Longing  for  Quiet — Batoka^ Gener- 
osity—A  Reception— Livingstone's  Courage — Power  of  the  Gospel — Awe  of 
White  Men — An  Incident^ — Missionary  Influence — Animals — Bufialo  Bird-^ 
Rhinoceros  Bird— Soldier  Ants — White  Ants — An  Elephant  Hunt — Elephant's 
Cliaracter — Indian  and  African  Compared — Down  the  Losito. 

It  is  interesting  to  observe  the  readiness  with  which  the 
Makololo  put  thenieelves  again  at  the  service  of  Dr.  Living- 
stone in  his  efforts  to  bring  the  tribes  into  communication  with 
tlie  white  people  and  open  the  heart  of  Africa  to  the  sympathies 
of  the  Christian  world.  The  wonderful  life-work  of  this  great 
man,  prosecuted  so  long  and  faithfully  in  Africa,  presents  a 
pleasing  contrast  with  many  of  tho  enterprises  of  explorers, 
which  have  been  attended  with  great  expense  and  the  smallest 
results.  With  the  inconsiderable  salary  of  a  missionary,  Liv- 
ingstone had  traversed  already  many  of  the  obscurest  wilds, 
awaking  new  aspirations  in  various  tribes  hitherto  unknown, 
softening  the  prejudices  of  diiforent  sections,  and  encouraging  a 
spirit  of  fraternity  among  those  petty  sovereignties  which  prom- 
ised to  ripen  into  a  system  of  kindly  intercourse  that  may 
eventually  substitute  confidence  for  distrust  and  honest  trade 
lor  plunder  and  Avar.  And  now  he  sets  forth  on  as  long  a 
journey,  so  abundantly  provided  for  and  so  well  escorted  that 
lie  appears  more  like  the  servant  of  a  king  than  a  lonely  toiler, 
with  no  commission  but  his  love  for  God  and  men,  and  no 
backing  but  a  character  whose  correctness  commanded  confidence. 
It  was  because  the  heathen  honored  the  man  and  confided  in 
his  love,  that  they  adopted  him  and  his  work,  and  because  he 
found  those  heathen  hearts  so  warm  and  liberal,  he  felt  that 
he  could  endure  all  things  for  their  good  and  immolate  himself 
214 


THE   EXPLANATION   OF   IT.  215 

on  the  altar  of  their  enlightenment.  "We  honor  Livingstone 
for  the  purity  and  strength  which  could  so  charm  and  control 
tliose  degraded  savages,  and  we  are  conscious  of  a  deeper  inter- 
est in  the  savages  who  possess  hearts  so  readily  charmed  by 
purity  and  in  love  with  honor.  The  singular  co-operation  of 
the  wild  tribes  with  a  lonely  missionary  for  the  accomplishment 
of  ends  which  might  dignify  the  noblest  civilization,  furnishes 
a  commentary  on  the  missionary  and  on  the  tribes,  unsurpassed 
in  history. 

But  it  ought  not  to  be  wonderful  that  a  single  Christian  man 
should  penetrate  even  those  Maids  and  summon  about  him  friends 
eager  to  help  him,  for  there  is  a  power  of  kindness  mightier 
than  the  word  of  kings,  and  there  is  a  providence  of  God 
mightier  than  prejudice.  We  cannot  fail  to  perceive  the  presence 
of  an  influence  more  beneficent  than  chance  and  more  sagacious 
than  human  wisdom  in  the  events  which  were  gradually  con- 
verting the  life  of  Livingstone  into  that  of  an  explorer.  And 
we  cannot  fail  to  perceive  an  influence  superior  to  that  of  in- 
tellect emanating  from  this  divinely  appointed  man.  An  edict 
had  gone  forth  among  those  tribes  mightier  than  the  desire  of 
a  hundred  missionaries,  commanding  their  favor  for  those  new 
enterprises,  and  a  law  was  prevailing  in  the  camps  of  those 
voluntary  followers  more  potent  than  any  outward  show  of 
authority.  The  sign  of  the  cross  was  the  unseen  banner  over 
Livingstone,  the  love  of  his  heart  was  the  unseen  power  of  the 
man :  both  were  new  in  Africa  :  both  are  powerful  everywhere. 
By  the  favor  of  God  and  the  power  of  love  he  enlisted  the  most 
ignorant  and  degraded  men  in  the  highest  and  holiest  service. 
How  real  and  how  abundant  their  interest  was  is  manifested  in 
the  cordiality  and  perseverance  of  their  attention.  A  more 
warm-hearted  and  resolute  body  of  men  was  hardly  ever  seen 
than  assembled  on  the  3d  of  November,  1855,  at  the  town  of 
Linyanti,  to  attend  the  "  friend  of  Sebituane  "  on  his  journey 
to  the  sea.  Sekeletu  himself  accompanied  him  as  far  as  the 
splendid  falls  of  the  Zambesi,  and  with  his  own  eyes  saw  that  the 
large  company  which  he  had  furnished  for  the  expedition  were 
well  nnder  way  and  thoroughly  equipped.  Before  they  had 
reached  that  point  indeed,  while  still  in  the  valley  of  the  Chobe, 
before  reaching  Sesheke,  the  party  encountered  one  of  those  ter- 
11 


216  TWO   HUNDRED    MEN   IK   LINE. 

riblc  storms  which  distinguisli  Africa  pre-eminently.  The  storms 
of  Africa  even  are  wilder  than  in  other  lauds;  the  clouds  are 
deeper  and  blacker  and  more  angry-looking ;  the  thunders  are 
l)oarser  and  heavier,  and  lightnings  flash  more  vividly.  That 
night  was  made  absolutely  dreadful ;  the  swift  successions  of 
pitchy  gloom  and  glaring  brilliancy  as  of  the  heavens  on  fire 
were  bewildering  and  terrifying  ;  and  a  i)elting  rain,  increasing 
the  discomforts  of  the  hour,  initiated  the  new  enterprise  which 
was  to  be  full  of  weariness  and  adventure. 

Including  the  personal  attendants  of  Sekeletu,  the  party  com- 
prised about  two  hundred  men  when  it  left  Sesheke.  One  hun- 
dred and  fourteen  of  these  had  been  assigned  as  the  special 
companions  of  Dr.  Livingstone.  Some  of  the  party  floated 
along  in  canoes,  while  others  marched  along  the  bank  with 
the  oxen.  They  \vere  following  the  same  river  which  they  had 
ascended  in  the  former  journey.  There  is  not  properly  any  dis- 
tinction to  be  made  between  the  Leeambye  and  Zambesi.  They 
are  names  applied  to  the  same  stream  in  different  sections  of  the 
country.  The  distinction  which  hafts  been  made  by  some  writers 
is  not  sustained  by  the  observations  of  Dr.  Livingstone  or  other 
travellers  who  have  reached  its  banks ;  both  names  imply 
"  the  7'iver,"  and  are  applied  to  this  noble  stream  as  a  distinction 
of  eminence  because  it  is  the  great  river  of  tJie  country. 

The  grand,  indescribable,  mysterious  scenery  was  a  fitting 
attendant  of  the  song  of  the  boatmen,  which  ran, 

"  The  Leeambye !  nobody  knows 
Whither  it  comes  or  wliither  it  goes," 

and  accorded  well  with  the  fables  which  were  told  of  mighty 
monsters  which  sometimes  held  the  canoes  of  the  natives  mo- 
tionless on  the  surface ;  and  constituted  a  splendid  introduc- 
tion to  the  "  grandest  scene  in  all  Africa,"  which  was  soon  to 
burst  on  the  view  of  the  traveller :  for  the  Niagara  of  Africa 
was  at  hand. 

This  wonderful  spot  has  always  inspired  the  ignorant  inhabit- 
ants of  the  country  with  awe ;  they  only  view  it  from  the  dis- 
tance. Its  columns  of  smoke  like  mist  towering  toward  tlie 
clouds  and  its  roar  like  angry  thunder  is  all  they  know  of  the 
mystery,  where  the  Leeambye  is  lost  in  an  awful  chasm.     They 


THE   NIAGARA   OF  AFRICA.  217 

call  the  wonder  Mosioatunya,  "  smoke  sounding."  But  Living- 
stone called  it  Victoria.  "After  twenty  niiiuitcs  sail  from 
Kalai,"  he  writes,  "  we  came  in  sight,  for  the  first  time,  of  the 
columns  of  vapor  appropriately  called  'smoke/  rising  at  a  dis- 
tance of  five  or  six  miles,  exactly  as  when  large  tracts  of  grass 
are  burned  in  Africa.  Five  columns  now  arose,  and,  bending 
in  the  direction  of  the  wind,  they  seemed  placed  against  a  low 
ridge  covered  with  trees ;  the  tops  of  the  columns  at  this  distance 
appeared  to  mingle  with  the  clouds.  They  were  white  below, 
and  higher  up  became  dark,  so  as  to  simulate  smoke  very 
clasely.  The  whole  scene  was  extremely  beautiful ;  the  banks 
and  islands  dotted  over  the  river  are  adorned  witii  sylvan  vege- 
tation of  great  variety  of  color  and  form.  At  the  period  of 
our  visit  several  trees  were  spangled  over  with  blossoms.  Trees 
have  each  their  own  physiognomy.  There,  towering  over  all, 
stands  the  great  burly  baobab,  each  of  whose  enormous  arms 
would  form  the  trunk  of  a  large  tree,  beside  groups  of  graceful 
palms,  which,  with  their  feathery-shaped  leaves  depicted  on  the 
sky,  lend  their  beauty  to  the  scene.  As  a  hieroglyphic  tiiey 
always  mean  '  far  from  home,'  for  one  can  never  get  over  their 
foreign  air  in  a  picture  or  landscape.  The  silvery  mohonono, 
which  in  the  tropics  is  in  form  like  the  cedar  of  Lebanon,  stands 
in  pleasing  contrast  with  the  dark  color  of  the  motsouri,  whose 
cypress-form  is  dotted  over  at  present  with  its  pleasant  scarlet 
fruit.  Some  trees  resemble  the  great  spreading  oak,  others  as- 
sume the  character  of  our  own  elms  and  chestnuts ;  but  no  one 
can  imagine  the  beauty  of  the  view  from  any  thing  witnessed 
iu  England.  It  had  never  been  seen  before  by  European  eyes; 
but  scenes  so  lovely  must  have  been  gazed  upon  by  angels  in 
their  flight.  The  only  want  felt  is  that  of  mountains  in  the 
background.  The  falls  are  bounded  on  three  sides  by  ridges 
three  or  four  hundred  feet  in  heiglit,  which  are  covered  with 
forests  and  with  red  soil  appearing  among  the  trees. 

"  When  about  half  a  mile  from  the  falls,  I  left  the  canoe  in 
which  we  had  come  that  far,  and  embarked  in  a  smaller  one, 
with  men  well  acquainted  with  the  rapids,  who,  by  passing  down 
the  centre  of  the  stream,  in  the  eddies  and  still  places  caused  by 
the  many  jutting  rocks,  brought  me  to  an  island  situated  in  the 
middle  of  the  river,  and  on  the  edge  of  the  lip  over  which  the 


218  THE   NIAGARA   OF   AFEICA. 

water  rolls.  In  coming  hither  there  is  danger  of  being  swept 
by  the  island  in  either  of  the  streams  which  rush  along  at  its 
sides,  and  the  landing  could  hardly  be  effected  except  in  very 
low  water,  as  was  the  case  at  the  time  of  our  visit.  But  even 
on  the  island  no  one  could  possibly  perceive  where  the  vast  body 
of  water  went.  It  was  only  when  I  had  succeeded  in  creeping 
with  awe  to  the  very  verge,  and  peered  down  into  a  large  rent 
which  had  been  made  from  bank  to  bank  of  the  broad  Zam- 
besi, that  I  saw  a  stream  a  thousand  yards  broad  leap  down  a 
hundred  feet  and  then  become  suddenly  compressed  into  a  space 
of  fifteen  or  twenty  yards.  The  entire  falls  are  sivipli/  a  crack 
made  in  hard  basaltic  rock,  from  the  right  to  the  left  bank  of  the 
Zambesi,  and  then  prolonged  from  the  left  bank  away  through 
thirty  or  forty  miles  of  hills.  In  looking  down  into  the  fissure 
on  the  right  of  the  island  one  sees  nothing  but  a  dense  white 
cloud,  which  at  the  time  we  visited  the  spot  had  two  bright 
rainbows  on  it.  From  this  cloud  rushed  up  a  great  jet  of  vapor 
exactly  like  steam,  and  it  mounted  two  or  three  hundred  feet ;  there 
condensing,  it  changed  its  hue  to  that  of  dark  smoke,  and  came 
back  in  a  constant  shower,  which  soon  wetted  us  to  the  skin. 
This  shower  falls  chiefly  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  fissure,  and 
a  few  yards  back  from  the  lip  there  stands  a  straight  hedge  of 
evergreen  trees,  whose  leaves  are  always  wet.  From  their  roots 
a  number  of  little  rills  run  back  into  the  gulf,  but,  as  they  flow 
down  the  steep  wall  there,  the  column  of  vapor,  in  its  ascent, 
licks  them  up  clean  off  the  rock,  and  away  they  mount  again. 
They  are  constantly  running  down,  but  never  reach  the  bottom. 
"  On  the  left  of  the  island  we  see  the  water  at  the  bottom,  a 
wliite  rolling  mass  moving  away  to  the  prolongation  of  the  fissure, 
Avhich  branches  off  near  the  left  bank  of  the  river.  A  piece  of 
the  rock  has  fallen  off  a  spot  on  the  left  of  the  island,  and  juts 
out  from  the  water  below,  and  from  it  I  judged  the  distance 
which  the  water  falls  to  be  one  hundred  feet.  The  walls  of  this 
gigantic  crack  are  ])erpendicular,  and  com})osed  of  one  homo- 
geneous mass  of  rock.  The  edge  of  that  side  over  which  the 
Avatei'  falls  is  worn  off  two  or  three  feet,  and  pfeces  have  fallen 
away,  so  as  to  give  it  somewhat  of  a  serrated  aj^pearance.  That 
over  which  the  water  does  not  fall  is  quite  straight,  except  at 
the  left  corner,  where  a  rent  appears,  and  a  piece  seems  in- 


RAINBOW  SUPERSTITION.  221 

cllned  to  fall  off.  Upon  the  whole,  it  is  nearly  in  the  state  in 
■which  it  was  left  at  the  period  of  its  formation.  The  rock  is 
dark  brown  in  color,  except  about  ten  feet  from  the  bottom, 
which  is  discolore<l  by  the  annual  rise  of  the  water  to  that  or  a 
greater  height.  On  the  left  side  of  the  island  we  have  a  good 
view  of  the  mass  of  water  which  causes  one  of  the  columns  of 
vapor  to  ascend,  as  it  leaps  quite  clear  of  the  rock,  and  forms  a 
thick  unbroken  fleece  all  the  way  to  the  bottom.  Its  whiteness 
gave  the  idea  of  snow,  a  sight  I  had  not  seen  for  many  a  day. 
As  it  broke  into  (if  I  may  use  the  term)  pieces  of  water,  all 
rushing  on  in  the  same  direction,  each  gave  off  several  rays 
of  foam,  exactly  as  bits  of  steel,  when  burned  in  oxygen  gas, 
give  off  rays  of  sparks.  The  snow-white  sheet  seemed  like 
myriads  of  small  comets  rushing  on  in  one  direction,  each  of 
which  left  behind  its  nucleus  rays  of  foam.  I  never  saw  the 
ajipearance  referred  to  noticed  elsewhere.  It  seemed  to  be  the 
effect  of  the  mass  of  water  leaping  at  once  clear  of  the  rock  and 
slowly  breaking  up  into  spray." 

Before  Sebituane  had  expelled  the  Batoka  chiefs  from  the  fast- 
nesses of  the  neighboring  rocks  and  islands,  they  reverenced 
this  spot  as  the  abode  of  Deity.  Dr.  Livingstone  noticed 
among  several  tribes  dwelling  along  these  rivers  a  decided  awe 
of  the  rainbow.  They  associate  it  with  the  gods.  When  seen 
in  the  heavens  it  i&  spoken  of  as  the  "  pestle  of  the  gods,"  and 
seen  resting  so  quietly  and  beautifully  on  this  strange  cloud  of 
spray,  reigning  so  serenely  over  the  roaring,  raging  abyss  of 
waters,  there  is  no  wonder  that  it  seemed  like  the  throne  of 
Deity. 

The  Batoka,  who  were  formerly  the  "  lords  of  the  isles,"  were 
strangely  cruel  and  tyrannical,  and  such  was  the  light  which  his 
inquiries  brought  upon  their  history,  that  Livingstone  was  al- 
most willing  to  honor  the  warlike  propensities  of  the  late  chief 
of  the  Makololo,  in  so  far  at  least  as  they  had  to  do  with  driving 
the  horrid  monsters  from  their  fastnesses  in  these  wild  rocks. 
The  beautiful  country  in  which  they  had  their  home  exerted  no 
more  softening  influence  on  those  savages  than  the  beautiful 
throne  of  their  imagined  divinity  above  the  "  Smoke  Sound- 
ing" pit.  And  the  children  who  recognize  in  some  sort  the 
ascendency  of  the  Makololo  conquerors  of  their  fathers,  though 


222  A    XETTV^ORK    OF    KIVEItS. 

restrained  in  some  degree  by  a  coHSciousness  of  comparative 
weakness,  dwell  with  pleasure  on  the  stories  of  bloody  bar- 
barity which  garnish  their  traditions.  The  son  of  the  chief, 
who  felt  the  power  of  Sebituane's  arms,  was  found  residing 
amidst  the  ruins  of  his  father's  tojvn,  with  a  contemptible  ham- 
let growing  up  about  him,  and  about  his  hut  were  to  be  seen 
fifty  human  skulls  hanging  from  the  sharp  points  of  stakes. 
And  he  gloried  in  the  possession  of  these  skulls  as  memorials 
of  his  father.  Surely  there  can  be  no  more  affecting  appeal  to 
the  Christian  hearts  of  our  favored  land,  than  the  picture  of  a 
son  in  mature  years,  delighting  to  gaze  on  the  skulls  of  the 
victims  of  his  father's  fierceness  ! 

Before,  however,  suffering  ourselves  led  away  by  the  incidents 
of  the  journey,  it  will  be  profitable  and  measurably  entertaining 
to  take  at  least  a  glance  back  and  around  on  the  country  which 
holds  the  splendid  falls,  like  a  central  glory,  the  climax  of  its 
wildness  and  beauty. 

There  is,  or  seems  to  be,  a  thorough  network  of  rivers,  whose 
courses  are  so  tortuous  and  whose  intersections  of  each  other  are 
so  singular  that  one  is  considerably  puzzled  in  the  effort  to  keep 
distinctly  in  mind  and  avoid  the  confusion  of  confounding  them 
one  with  another.  There  is  a  prevalent  characteristic  of  these 
channels,  too,  which  suggests  the  thought  of  some  violent  up- 
heaval in  a  period  more  or  less  remote  as  the  explanation  of 
their  existence.  But  the  absence  of  any  tradition,  however  in- 
distinct, which  hints  of  an  earthquake  is  almost  conclusive 
evidence  against  the  reference  of  the  problem  to  an  event  so 
violent,  particularly  as  there  are  many  traditions  which  hint  of 
momentous  incidents  in  periods  manifestly  more  remote  than 
the  existence  of  the  falls  or  rivers  even.  "There  was  found  a 
tradition  which  resembled  the  story  of  Solomon  and  the  harlots." 
They  liave  also  their  version  of  the  tower  of  Babel,  whose 
builders  abaTidoncd  their  work  owing  to  the  inconvenience  of 
])roken  heads  by  the  falling  of  their  scaffolding,  and  vague  things 
about  the  builders  of  the  tower  having  come  out  of  a  cave  with 
all  the  animals  which  hints  of  the  account  of  Noah.  It  is  liardly 
reasonalile  that  an  earthquake  of  such  extent  and  violence  as 
might  have  produced  the  wonderful  fissures  all  over  the  broad 
expanse  threaded  by  these  singular  rivers  would  be  entirely  un- 


THE  FIRST  WHITE  MAN.  223 

heard  of.  The  o})sei'vations  of  Dr.  Livingstone  poi>:ted  more 
toward  the  conchision  that  this  remarkable  irrigation  is  the  re- 
sult of  the  gradual  elevation  of  the  surface  in  a  region  formerly 
occupied  by  an  extensive  lake,  whose  waters  probably  forced 
their  way  along  the  cracks  and  deeper  fissur&s  made  by  the  up- 
heaval of  the  earth.  The  theory  is  sustained  also  by  the  char- 
acter of  the  soil  and  the  presence  of  certain  shells  identical  with 
those  to  be  seen  in  lakes  in  other  sections  of  the  continent.  The 
rivers  have  each  a  double  bed,  the  simple  sharply  cut  furrow 
in  the  calcareous  tufa  which  probably  lined  the  channel  of  the 
ancient  lake,  and  another  bed  of  inundation.  When  these  beds 
of  inundation  are  filled  they  look  like  a  great  system  of  lakes. 

Dr.  Livingstone  found  no  indications  here  of  the  country's 
having  ever  been  visited  by  a  white  man  previously  to  his  own 
coming,  although  it  has  been  aaserted  that  the  Portuguese  had 
possessed  a  chain  of  trading  stations  across  the  continent  before 
that  time ;  though  there  were  some  evidences  that  the  natives 
had  been  in  contact  with  white  men.  An  old  head  man  at  the 
village  of  Nanulanga  remembered  that  his  father  had  twice 
visited  the  homes  of  tlie  white  men  when  he  was  a  boy,  and  that 
many  of'the  people  had  gone  who  never  returned. 

These  people  are  decidedly  inferior  to  the  Makololo  in  all  of 
those  characteristics  which  are  pleasing  in  our  eyes.  The  char- 
acters of  their  chiefs  in  earlier  times  had  gone  far  toward  form- 
ing their  minds  to  cruelty  and  treachery.  They  had  been 
accustomed  to  a  premium  on  those  acts  which  involve  the  perfec- 
tion of  these  arts  of  barbarism.  Their  personal  appearance,  at 
best  more  degraded  and  negro-like,  is  rendered  more  repulsive 
by  their  singular  custom  of  knocking  out  the  upper  front  teeth 
of  males  and  females,  a  custom  which  has  a  very  insufficient 
explanation  in  their  desire  "to  look  like  oxen,"  but  which  is  so 
prevalent  that  one  who  has  his  teeth  is  considered  very  ugly. 

They  dwell  in  a  fertile  country  and  enjoy  nearly  the  same 
varieties  of  fruits  as  the  inhabitants  of  Angola,  and  are  abun- 
dantly supplied.  Their  country  also  abounds  in  the  wild  ani- 
mals which  were  so  seldom  seen  by  Dr.  Livingstone  in  his 
northwestern  journey  after  leaving  the  borders  of  the  Makololo. 

While  the  Batoka  were  claimed  as  the  subjects  of  Sokelctu, 
a  large  part  of  the   tribe  had  begun  to  disregard  his  authority, 


224  THE   EASTERN   RIDGE. 

and  were  understood  to  be  in  open  revolt.  Indeed  the  villages 
of  Kaonga  were  the  last  whose  people  were  on  friendly  ternia 
with  their  conquerors.  These  rebels  are  enjoying  the  country 
M'hich  was  formerly  the  home  of  Sebituane,  from  which  the 
Matebele  forced  him  to  seek  a  more  secure  fortress  amid  the 
swamps  of  the  Chobe  and  the  Leeambye.  And  it  was  well 
worthy  of  the  admiration  of  the  IMakololo,  who  were  tireless  in 
their  accounts  of  the  vast  herds  which  their  fathers  possessed 
when  they  lived  there. 

The  route  now  lay  more  directly  eastward  than  the  bed  of 
the  river,  which  makes  a  detour  southward,  finding  its  way 
around  the  foot  of  the  ridge  which  they  were  gradually  ascend- 
ing. The  ascent  was  so  gradual  as  they  advanced  that  it  was 
observed  more  by  the  westward  inclination  of  the  streams  and  the 
general  appearance  of  elevation  than  by  any  remarkable  hills  or 
mountains.  The  traveller  was  led  along  the  gentle  undulations 
almost  insensibly  to  an  altitude  of  five  thousand  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea.  There  are  none  of  the  marshes  along  these 
plains  which  generate  the  enervating  fevers  which  have  almost 
swept  away  the  Makololo  in  the  valleys.  The  whole  region  is 
remarkably  salubrious  as  well  as  beautiful;  many  of  tiie  plains 
are  almost  treeless  and  are  covered  with  short  grass.  There  is 
a  noticeable  absence  of  fountains,  and  the  river  Kalomo  is  the 
only  river  in  the  whole  section  which  never  dries  up.  This 
flows  away  southward  after  the  Zambesi. 

Though  the  Batoka  of  this  region  claim  to  be  independent, 
they  have  been  sorely  afflicted  by  the  wars  of  the  Makololo,  and 
do  not  enjoy  their  splendid  country  as  they  might  under  other 
circumstances.  They  are  sadly  degraded,  but  were  glad  to  hear 
of  a  name  which  savored  of  peace  and  rest.  Surely  the  weari- 
ness and  misery  of  the  heathen,  tossed  and  torn  as  they  are  by 
the  convulsions  of  their  untutored  society,  and  by  the  evil  pas- 
sions of  their  hearts,  though  indeed  they  may  not  comprehend 
their  real  need  and  though  they  may  have  never  heard  of  Jesus, 
is  a  prayer  which  will  move  the  hand  of  God.  It  was,  we 
know,  the  pitiable  spectacle  of  human  sorrow  which  moved 
him  to  compassion  and  brought  his  dear  Son  to  be  our  Saviour, 
although  the  Batoka  could  not  understand  the  full  import  of 
the  message  when  Dr.  Livingstone  spoke  to  them  of  hhn  whose 


LONGING   FOR  PEACE.  225 

word  is  "  peace  on  earth  and  good-will  to  men."  It  is  not 
wonderful  that  they  seized  the  idea  of  peace  so  eagerly.  Their 
country  has  been  visited  by  successive  scourges  during  the  last 
half  century,  and  they  are  now  "  a  nation  scattered  and  peeled." 
When  Sebituane  came,  the  cattle  were  innumerable,  and  yet 
these  were  the  remnants  only,  left  by  a  chief  called  Pingola, 
who  came  from  the  northeast.  He  swept  across  the  whole  ter- 
ritory inhabited  by  his  cattle-loving  countrymen,  devouring 
oxen,  cows,  and  calves,  without  retaining  a  single  head.  He 
seems  to  have  been  actuated  by  a  simple  love  of  conquest,  and 
is  an  instance  of  what  has  occurred  two  or  three  times  in  every 
century  in  this  country  from  time  immemorial.  A  man  of  morc 
energy  or  ambition  than  his  fellows  rises  up  and  conquers  a 
large  territory,  but  as  soon  as  he  dies  the  power  he  built  is  gone, 
and  his  reign,  having  been  one  of  terror,  is  not  perpetuated. 
This  and  the  want  of  literature  have  prevented  the  establish- 
ment of  any  great  empire  in  the  interior  of  Africa.  Pingola 
effected  his  conquests  by  carrying  numbers  of  smith's  bellows 
with  him.  The  arrow-heads  were  heated  before  shooting  into 
a  town,  and  when  a  wound  was  inflicted  on  either  man  or  beast 
great  confusion  ensued.  After  Pingola  came  Sebituane,  and 
after  him  the  Matebele  of  Mosilikatse ;  and  these  successive  in- 
roads have  reduced  the  Batoka  to  a  state  in  which  they  naturally 
rejoice  at  the  prospect  of  deliverance  and  peace. 

They  were  remarkably  generous  with  their  offers  of  food,  and 
great  numbers  came  out  continually  to  greet  the  "  white  man." 
It  could  only  be  painful  to  a  man  more  anxious  to  benefit  his 
kind  than  to  witness  their  follies,  to  see  so  many  human  beings 
exhibiting  even  in  their  salutations  their  extreme  degradation. 
Few  customs  of  men  are  more  arbitrary  than  those  which  relate 
to  the  reception  of  visitors,  but  of  all  hardly  anything  can  sur- 
pass in  absurdity  that  of  this  tribe.  They  throw  themselves  on 
the  ground,  on  their  backs,  and,  rolling  from  side  to  side,  slap 
the  outside  of  their  thighs  as  expressions  of  thankfulness  and 
welcome,  uttering  the  words,  "  kina  bomba."  And  the  more 
Dr.  Livingstone  attempted  to  prevent  them,  the  more  violently 
they  did  him  their  eccentric  reverence.  This  performance  ou 
the  part  of  men  totally  unclothed  was  a  scene  too  painfully  un- 
manly for  amusement,  rather  one  to  provoke  the  deepest  sorrow. 


226  .Livingstone's  courage  tested. 

Livingstone  gives  an  account  of  his  entertainment  at  the  first 
of  these  border  villages,  which  ought  to  have  a  place  here  in 
his  own  language,  as  it  illustrates  some  of  the  trials  which  his 
own  courage  had  to  endure,  as  well  as  manners  of  the  country : 

"  On  the  4th  we  reached  their  first  village.  Remaining  at 
a  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  we  sent  two  men  to  inform 
them  who  we  were,  and  that  our  pur})oses  were  peaceful.  The 
head  man  came  and  spoke  civilly,  but,  when  nearly  dark,  the 
people  of  another  village  arrived  and  behaved  very  differently. 
They  began  by  trying  to  spear  a  young  man  who  had  gone  for 
water.  Then  they  approached  us,  and  one  came  forward  howl- 
ing at  the  top  of  his  voice  in  the  most  hideous  manner;  his  eyes 
were  shot  out,  his  lips  covered  with  foam,  and  every  muscle  of 
his  frame  quivered.  He  came  near  to  me,  and,  liaving  a  small 
battle-axe  in  his  hand,  alarmed  my  men  lest  he  might  do  violence; 
but  they  were  afraid  to  disobey  ray  previous  ordei's,  and  to  fol- 
low their  own  inclination  by  knocking  him  on  the  head.  I  felt 
a  little  alarmed  too,  but  would  not  show  fear  before  my  o^^'n 
people  or  strangers,  and  kept  a  sharp  look-out  on  the  little  battle- 
axe.  It  seemed  to  me  a  case  of  ecstasy  or  prophetic  frenzy, 
voluntarily  produced.  I  felt  it  would  be  a  sorry  way  to  leave 
the  world  to  get  my  head  chopped  by  a  mad  savage,  though 
that,  perhaps,  would  be  preferable  to  hydrophobia  or  delirium 
tremens.  Sekwebu  took  a  spear  in  his  hand  as  if  to  pierce  a  bit 
of  leather,  but  in  reality  to  plunge  it  into  the  man  if  he  offered 
violence  to  me.  After  my  courage  had  been  sufficiently  tested, 
I  beckoned  with  the  head  to  the  civil  head  man  to  remove  him, 
and  he  did  so  by  drawing  him  aside.  This  man  pretended  not 
to  know  what  he  was  doing.  I  would  fain  have  felt  his  pulse 
to  ascertain  whether  the  violent  trembling  were  not  feigned,  but 
had  not  much  inclination  to  go  near  the  battle-axe  again.  There 
was,  however,  a  flow  of  perspiration,  and  the  excitement  coi>- 
tinued  fully  half  an  hour,  then  gradually  ceased.  This  paroxysm 
is  the  direct  opposite  of  hypnotism,  and  it  is  singular  that  it 
has  not  been  tried  in  Europe  as  well  as  clairvoyance.  Tin's 
second  batch  of  visitors  took  no  pains  to  conceal  their  contemi>t 
for  our  small  party,  saying  to  each  other,  in  a  tone  of  triumph, 
'They  are  quite  a  godsend!'  literally, 'God  has  apportioned 
tliem  to  us.'     '  They  arc  lost  among  the  tribes  ! '     '  They  haye 


AN   INCIDENT. 


227 


wandered  in  order  to  be  destroyed,  and  what  can  they  do  witli- 
ont  shields  among  so  many?'  Some  of  them  asked  if  there 
were  no  other  parties.  Sekeletu  had  ordered  my  men  not  to 
take  their  shields,  as  in  the  case  of  my  first  company.  We  were 
looked  upon  as  unarmed,  and  an  easy  prey." 

It  is  impossible  but  to  admire  the  deliberate  courage  of  Dr. 
Livingstone  under  such  circumstances.  It  was  the  same  singular 
disregard  of  danger  which  suffered  him  to  give  away  at  Linyanti 
all  but  live  of  the  guns  which  he  had  purchased  in  Loanda,  and 
undertake  a  new  journey  with  only  five,  which  enabled  him  to 
sit  so  quietly  defiant  when  he  might  really  have  been  an  easy 
prey  to  their  barbarity.  The  policy  of  travelling  comparatively 
unarmed  through  the  country  may  have  been  wise  enough,  but 
it  was  a  piece  of  policy  which  required  more  nerve  than  the 
average  man  possesses.  It  was  a  great  consolation  to  Dr.  Liv- 
ingstone in  thinking  of  this  deeply  degraded  tribe  to  recall 
the  blessed  results  of  missionary  work  among  the  people  of 
Kuruman,  who  were  quite  as  depraved  and  degraded  as  the 
Batoka.  We  should  not  forget  the  M'onderful  power  of  the  gos- 
pel, when  we  question  the  probabilities  of  the  ultimate  conver- 
sion and  elevation  of  even  the  most  barbarous  people.  There 
is  power  in  that  precious  word  to  melt  the  hardest  heart.  And 
there  is  light  enough  there  to  drive  away  the  gloom  from  the 
mast  benighted  intellect. 

Another  incident  which  occurred  in  tliis  country  illustrates 
the  power  of  a  Avhite  face  over  these  people,  although  they  had 
never  before  seen  such  a  being. 

As  Livingstone  and  his  party  were  approaching  a  village, 
about  evening,  they  met  a  man  running  to  them,  bound  firmly 
with  cords,  entreating  to  be  released.  He  proved  to  be  a  man 
from  a  neighboring  tribe  who  had  made  a  home  in  the  village, 
and  had,  without  any  show  of  excuse,  threatened  the  chief  man's 
life,  and  he  was  about  paying  his  own  for  the  privilege  of  the 
speech.  Livingstone  immediately  took  the  case  in  hand,  though 
an  absolute  stranger,  and,  having  bound  the  guilty  man  to  do 
no  violence,  released  him.  There  was  no  complaint  on  the 
part  of  the  authorities  of  tlie  town.  His  interference  seemed 
to  pass  as  a  matter  of  course.  The  awe  which  is  inspired  in 
these  savages  by  a  M'hite  face  is  to  be  noticed  as  quite  an  offset 


228  THE   LOWER   ORDERS. 

to  the  otherwise  perilous  undertaking  of  missionary  work  iu 
Africa. 

Both  the  condition  of  the  people  and  the  character  of  the 
country  impressed  Dr.  Livingstone  as  offering  peculiar  encour- 
agements for  the  establishment  of  a  mission  in  this  region. 
The  people,  though  ignorant  and  depraved,  would  turn  readily 
to  the  sympathies  and  consolations  of  Christian  laborers  and 
their  message.  And  the  country,  with  its  splendid  climate  and 
a  soil  which  yields  the  most  desirable  articles  with  lightest  labor, 
is  unsurpassed  in  its  offers  of  plenty  and  comfort.  But  he  who 
undertakes  the  duties  of  a  missionary  among  such  a  people 
must  expect  to  accomplish  their  enlightenment  very  gradually, 
and  remember  that  he  will  have  no  special  influence  simply 
because  of  being  a  "  Christian  teacher,"  for  these  people  know 
nothing  of  Christianity.  They  must  be  made  to  respect  his 
superior  virtue  and  strength  of  character,  and  to  think  of  him 
as  their  friend  ;  then  they  will  follow  him  readily. 

Enjoying  the  abundant  hospitality  of  these  poor  people  and 
the  bracing  effects  of  the  beautiful  scenery  and  salubrious 
climate.  Dr.  Livingstone  had  time  to  notice  a  number  of  curious 
and  interesting  individuals  of  the  lower  order. 

It  was  interesting  to  observe  the  sagacity  of  the  herds  which 
were  feeding  along  the  plains  in  the  selection  of  their  leader. 
The  leader  of  a  herd  is  a  very  important  member;  the  entire 
body  seem  to  put  their  lives  in  the  care  of  the  leader.  It  is 
the  duty  of  that  dignitary  to  catch  the  faintest  semblance  of 
danger,  and  all  his  followers  repose  implicit  confidence  iu  choice 
of  paths  he  may  take  for  flight,  and  follow  in  his  or  her  tracks 
with  reckless  impetuosity.  Of  course  it  is  important  that  the 
most  wary  animal  in  the  herd  be  selected  for  the  leadership ; 
and  the  duty  not  unfrequently  devolves  on  the  most  timid.  No 
greater  calamity  can  bcflill  a  herd  than  to  have  a  leader  killed. 
The  whole  mass  is  immediately  thrown  into  confusion ;  one  at- 
tempts to  follow  another ;  they  invariably  lose  much  precious 
time,  only  to  scamper  away  each  for  itself  in  utter  perplexity 
and  consternation.  Providence  has  kindly  furnished  some  of 
the  larger  animals  with  little  winged  sentinels,  whose  duty  it  is 
to  caution  them  of  apjiroaching  danger.  It  is  no  uncommon 
thing  to  see  a  huge  buffalo  dashing  along  with  his  little  feathered 


HEAD   OF   BLACK   RHINOCEROS. 


SOLDIER   ANTS.  231 

friend,  like  a  guardian  spirit,  sitting  on  his  wiuiers,  or  flying 
gently  on  just  over  the  object  of  its  care.  When  the  buflalo  is 
quietly  feeding,  this  bird  may  be  seen  hopping  on  the  ground 
picking  up  food,  or  sitting  on  its  back  ridding  it  of  the  insects 
with  which  their  skins  are  sometimes  infested.  The  sight  of 
the  bird  being  much  more  acute  than  that  of  the  buffalo,  it  is 
soon  alarmed  by  the  approach  of  any  danger,  and,  flying  up,  the 
buffaloes  instantly  raise  their  heads  to  discover  the  cause  which 
has  led  to  the  sudden  flight  of  their  guardian.  They  sometimes 
accompany  the  buffaloes  in  their  flight  on  the  wing,  at  other 
times  they  sit  as  above  described. 

Another  African  bird,  namely,  the  Biiphaga  Africana,  at- 
tends the  rhinoceros  for  a  similar  purpose.  It  is  called  "  kala" 
in  the  language  of  the  Bechuanas.  When  these  people  wish  to 
express  their  dependence  upon  another,  they  address  him  as 
"  my  rhinoceros,"  as  if  they  were  the  birds.  The  satellites  of 
a  chief  go  by  the  same  name.  This  bird  cannot  be  said  to  de- 
pend entirely  on  the  insects  on  that  animal,  for  its  hard,  hair- 
less skin  is  a  protection  against  all  except  a  few  spotted  ticks ; 
but  it  seems  to  be  attached  to  the  beast,  somewhat  as  the  domestic 
dog  is  to  man ;  and  while  the  buffalo  is  alarmed  by  the  sudden 
flying  up  of  its  sentinel,  the  rhinoceros,  not  having  keen  sight, 
but  an  acute  ear,  is  warned  by  the  cry  of  its  associate,  the  Bup- 
haga  Africana.  The  rhinoceros  feeds  by  night,  and  its  sentinel 
is  frequently  heard  in  the  morning  uttering  its  well-known  call, 
as  it  searches  for  its  bulky  companion. 

But  many  of  the  most  wonderful  objects  in  the  world  are  the 
most  minute,  and  the  soldier  ants  which  were  observed  plying 
their  singular  industry  and  carrying  on  their  depredations  are 
certainly  inferior  only  in  size  to  the  more  notorious  monsters  of 
the  continent.  These  pigmean  marauders  have  the  true  African 
color,  and  when  on  the  line  of  march  generally  go  three  abreast. 
They  are  probably  half  an  inch  in  length,  and  possess  wonder- 
ful strength  and  energy  for  their  size.  They  usually  follow  a 
few  leaders,  who  are  untrammelled  by  any  burden  and  furnished 
with  an  extraordinary  quantity  of  the  peculiar  poison  in  which 
their  special  power  lies.  Like  the  red  ants  mentioned  as  being 
seen  in  the  western  part  of  the  continent,  these  are  generally 
found  advancing  in  a  straight  line.     "If  a  handful  of  earth  is 


232  WHITE   ANTS. 

thrown  on  the  path  at  the  middle  of  the  regiment,  either  on  its 
way  home  or  abroad,  those  behind  it  are  completely  at  a  loss  as 
to  their  farther  progress.  Whatever  it  may  be  that  guides 
them,  they  seem  only  to  know  that  they  are  not  to  return,  for 
they  come  up  to  the  handful  of  earth  but  will  not  cross  it,  though 
not  a  quarter  of  an  inch  high.  They  wheel  round  and  regain 
their  path  again,  but  never  think  of  retreating  to  the  nest,  or  to 
the  place  where  they  have  been  stealing.  After  a  quarter  of  an 
hour's  confusion  and  hissing,  one  may  make  a  circuit  of  a  foot 
round  the  earth,  and  soon  all  follow  in  that  roundabout  way. 
When  on  their  way  to  attack  the  abode  of  the  white  ants,  the 
latter  may  be  observed  rushing  about  in  a  state  of  great  pertur- 
bation. The  black  leaders,  distinguished  from  the  rest  by 
their  greater  size,  especially  in  the  region  of  the  sting,  then  seize 
the  white  ants  one  by  one  and  inflict  a  sting,  which  seems  to  in- 
ject a  portion  of  fluid  similar  in  effect  to  chloroform,  as  it  ren- 
ders them  insensible  but  not  dead,  and  only  able  to  move  one 
or  two  front  legs.  As  the  leaders  toss  them  on  one  side,  the 
rank  and  file  seize  them  and  carry  them  off." 

The  white  ants  on  which  these  sable  monsters  prey,  and  whose 
tiny  skulls  are  to  be  found  piled  about  their  barracks,  are  of 
more  apparent  service  than  their  murderers.  Upon  such  tiny 
laborers  the  great  Author  of  all  had  devolved  the  task  of  pre- 
serving and  improving  the  soil  which  the  indolent  human  in- 
habitants do  not  appreciate.  They  are  appointed  to  the  her- 
culean task  of  clearing  away  and  burying  the  vast  quantities  of 
decaying  vegetable  matter  M'hich  abounds  in  the  vast  wilder- 
nesses. It  is  wonderful  by  what  puny  agents  many  of  the  most 
colossal  works  of  time  are  accomplished.  The  tiny  toilers  on 
land  and  tiny  toilers  in  the  sea  are  rearing  monuments  to  in- 
dustry and  instinct  which  shame  the  boastful  wisdom  and  strength 
of  man.  These  little  ants  labor  too  with  much  system  and  art. 
They  generally  perform  their  work  without  coming  where  they 
may  be  seen  more  than  they  are  obliged  to,  and  it  is  astonish- 
ing how  rapidly  they  work.  Dr.  Livingstone  was  accustomc<l 
to  spread  grass  in  considerable  quantities  under  the  mat  on 
which  he  slept,  and  frequently  these  little  sawyers  would  re- 
move the  entire  su[)ply  din-ing  a  single  day  and  necessitate  a 
new  bed  for  the  second   night.     Indeed,  we  need  only  a  fuller 


WHITE    ant's   nest 


AN    ELEPUANT    nUNT.  235 

knowledge  of  the  world  we  live  in,  with  all  its  wonderful  sys- 
tem of  adaptations,  that  we  may  praise  God  more  heartily, 
and  adore  him  more  devoutly  for  his  wisdom  and  goodne&s, 
and  prefer  the  keeping  of  his  love. 

As  the  journey  extended  the  eountry  became  more  and  more 
beautiful  and  abounding  in  large  game.  On  the  14th  of  De- 
cember, in  a  lovely  valley,  they  came  upon  a  buffalo,  and  while 
attempting  to  secure  him,  found  themselves  suddenly  confronted, 
by  three  elephants,  one  of  which  Dr.  I^ivingstone  managed  to 
cripple  by  a  first  shot.  This  one  they  then  easily  killed.  The 
next  day  was  distinguished  by  a  grand  elephant-hunt,  in  which 
the  devoted  followers  engaged  to  "  show  their  father  Nvhat  sort 
of  men  he  had.^'  Although  scenes  of  the  kind  were  only  pain- 
ful to  Livingstone,  and  possessed  of  none  of  the  charm  which 
causes  the  ordinary  traveller  to  revel  in  stories  of  slaughter, 
he  has  still  furnished  a  thrilling  account  of  this  exploit  of  his 
men. 

He  had  retired  from  the  noise  of  the  camp,  where  the  men 
were  cutting  up  the  elephant  which  he  had  shot  the  day  before, 
tliat  he  might  make  an  examination  of  some  rocks,  when  glanc- 
ing casually  across  the  valley  he  saw  a  pair  of  elephants,  a  fe- 
male and  her  calf,  quietly  enjoying  themselves  by  the  side  of  a 
little  stream,  and  beyond  them  a  long  line  of  his  men,  who 
were  manifestly  approaching  their  unsuspecting  victims  with  no 
good  intentions.  The  noble  creature,  totally  "  unconscious  of  th^ 
approach  of  an  enemy,  stood  for  some  time  suckling  her  young 
one,  which  seemed  about-  two  years  old ;  they  then  went  into  a 
pit  containing  mud,  and  smeared  themselves  all  over  with  it, 
the  little  one  frisking  about  his  dam,  flapping  his  ears  and 
tossing  his  trunk  incessantly,  in  elei)hantine  fashion.  She  kept 
flapping  her  ears  and  wagging  her  tail  as  if  in  the  height  of 
enjoyment.  Then  began  the  piping  of  her  enemies,  which  was 
performed  by  blowing  into  a  tube,  or  the  hands  closed  together, 
as  boys  do  into  a  key.  They  call  out  to  attract  the  animal's 
attention, 

"  'O  chief!  chief!  we  have  come  to  kill  yon. 

O  chief!  chief!  many  more  will  die  besides  you,'  etc, 
'  The  gods  have  said  it,'  etc.,  etc. 

Both  animals  expanded  their  ears  and  listened,  then  left  their 


236  ELEPHANT'S  CHARACTER. 

bath  as  the  crowd  ruslied  toward  thera.  The  little  one  ran  for- 
ward toward  the  end  of  the  valley,  but,  seeing  the  men  there, 
returned  to  his  dam.  She  placed  herself  on  the  danger  side  of 
her  calf,  and  passed  her  proboscis  over  it  again  and  again,  as 
if  to  assure  it  of  safety.  She  frequently  looked  back  to  the 
men,  who  kept  up  an  incessant  shouting,  singing,  and  piping; 
then  looked  at  her  young  one  and  ran  after  it,  sometimes  side- 
ways, as  if  her  feelings  were  divided  between  her  anxiety  to 
protect  her  offspring  and  desire  to  revenge  the  temerity  of  her 
persecutors.  The  men  kept  about  a  hundred  yards  in  her  rear, 
and  some  that  distance  from  her  flanks,  and  continued  thus 
until  she  was  obliged  to  cross  a  rivulet.  The  time  spent  in 
descending  and  getting  up  the  opposite  bank  allowed  of  their 
coming  up  to  the  edge,  and  discharging  their  spears  at  about 
twenty  yards  distance.  Ailer  the  first  discharge  she  appeared 
with  her  sides  red  with  blood,  and,  beginning  to  flee  for  her  own 
life,  seemed  to  think  no  more  of  her  young.  The  calf  soon  ran 
into  a  neighboring  stream  and  was  killed.  The  dam  moved 
more  and  more  slowly,  and,  finally,  with  a  shriek  of  rage,  turned 
and  charged  furiously  upon  her  pursuers.  These  charges  she 
continued,  wheeling  when  she  found  they  had  eluded  her,  until 
she  sunk  down  dead." 

No  animal  within  the  range  of  our  knowledge  more  justly 
receives  the  attention  and  the  admiration  of  men  than  the  ele- 
phant; none  betrays  nobler  instincts  and  such  remarkable 
sagacity.  They  have  figured  prominently  in  the  history  of  the 
world  for  many  hundreds  of  years.  There  seems  to  be  no  very 
great  difficulty  about  making  them  gentle  and  serviceable  when 
once  they  have  been  captured  ;  and  when  once  they  acknowledge 
the  authority  of  a  man  they  become  singularly  obedient  and 
devoted.  AVe  remember  that  on  one  occasion  an  elephant, 
which  had  been  accustomed  to  the  authority  of  his  master,  was 
seduced  from  his  allegiance  and  joined  his  fellows  in  their  wild 
life  of  the  forest.  Quite  a  long  time  after  his  running  away, 
the  master  was  out  hunting  elephants,  and  coming  upon  a  herd 
thought  that  in  the  number  he  recognized  his  old  servant,  and 
immediately  advancing  to  his  side  and  calling  him  byname  was 
astonished  to  sec  the  powerful  beast  turn  kindly  to  him  and 
submit  with  the  ea.sicst  grace  to  his  command,  suffering  him  to 


DOWN   THE   LOSITO. 


237 


mount  his  back  as  of  old  and  guide  him  with  perfect  cas3.  The 
African  elephant  is  considered  larger  than  those  of  India  and 
those  of  the  southern  sections.  Those,  however,  on  the  eastern 
ridge,  where  Dr.  Livingstone  witnessed  the  exploit  of  his  men, 
are  not  generally  larger  than  thase  of  India.  They  are  distin- 
guished, however,  more  clearly  from  their  Indian  cousins  by 
their  ears,  which  are  enormous.  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  in  this 
connection,  that  there  is  an  appreciable  diminution  in  the  size 
'and  vigor  of  all  animals,  including  man,  in  proportion  as  food 
is  more  abundant,  and  tropical  climates  are  apparently  unfavor- 
able to  the  development  of  either  man  or  beast. 

But  Semalerabue  is  waiting  for  our  attentions,  and  we  must 
turn  our  backs  on  the  lovely  valley  with  its  teeming  herds. 
The  way  to  the  residence  of  that  chief  lay  down  the  Losito 
and  through  the  ranges  of  hills.  The  residence  itself  was  found 
at  the  foot  of  the  range  of  hills  through  which  the  Kafue  finds 
its  passage. 


STAO  BEETUE. 


32 


CHAPTER    X. 

BORDER  TRIBES. 

Tlie  Kafu«  —  Longing  for  Peace — Negro  Worship — Foreign  Goods — Barbisa 
Tuoders — Five  Ranges — Geological  Features— Health  of  Livingstone— The 
Zambesi  again — Elephant-Hunting — Suffering  from  Heat— The  Native  Pecu- 
liarities— Absence  of  Deformed  Persons — Continued  Friendliness — Adventure 
with  an  Elephant — Native  Suspicions — Doubtful  Conduct— Peace  and  Kind- 
ness— Portuguese  Enterprise — Situation  of  Zumbo — Abundance  of  Game — 
Wonderful  Liberality — Dancing  for  Corn — Livingstone's  Example — Providence 
in  the  Council — Mpende's  Favor — Slave  Trade  Abhorred — Across  the  Zambesi 
— Sand  River — Game  Laws— Elevated  Huts — Hyena  Scourge— Overflow  of  the 
Zambesi — Appreciation  of  Gifts. 

Semalembue's  village  guards  the  narrow  gorge  through 
which  the  Kafue  finds  its  escaj>e  from  the  hills  into  the  Zam- 
besi, in  lat.  15°  48'  19"  S.,  long.  28°  22'  E.  He  was  not 
behind  any  head  man  in  the  kindness  and  readiness  of  his  hos- 
pitality. His  present  of  meal  and  groundnuts  was  made  in  the 
best  style  of  their  country,  by  first  expressing  his  regret  that  his 
visitors  must  sleep  hungry,  and  then  surprising  them  with  his 
generosity.  Like  all  his  neighbors  he  receive<i  the  words  of 
peace  with  great  delight.  The  life  of  anxiety  and  constant  tur- 
moil almost  inseparable  from  the  existence  of  so  many  little 
sovereignties  all  crowded  together,  is  painfully  wearying ;  and 
rest,  peace  is  the  magic  word  which  thrills  through  all  the 
tribes  with  unequalled  power.  They  all  long  to  "  live  in  peace." 
The  beautiful,  fertile  and  healthful  hills  and  valleys  of  the 
Kafue  particularly  have  been  contested  ground,  and  this  indus- 
trious and  quiet  populace  are  eager  to  l)e  left  in  the  enjoyment 
of  their  fields  and  sports.  These  people  do  not  need  to  be  told 
of  the  existence  of  the  Deity,  but  they  catch  at  his  gospel,  which 
promises  a  time  of  universal  peace  on  earth,  with  singular 
pleasure.  It  is  the  same  weariness  of  anxiety,  which  turns  the 
heart  of  man  universally  toward  the  throne  of  GckI,  who  reveals 
in  Christ  his  providence  and  grace,  Tlie  religion  of  Jesus, 
238 


TEXDE>CY    TO    WORSHIP.  23» 

establishing  the  soul  in  quietness,  and  filling  the  world  with 
love,  answers  the  inaudible  prayer  of  human  misery,  which 
ascends  to  God  from  every  land,  in  every  dialect,  expressed  in 
every  custom  and  condition.  How  beautiful  and  touching  it 
the  ready  yielding  of  heathen  prejudice  to  this  heavenly  prom- 
ise !  How  encouraging  it  is  to  see  the  eye  of  ignorance  and 
barbarity  sparkling  with  the  hope  of  Christ's  glorious  reign, 
even  before  they  know  the  Sovereign ! 

The  characteristic  negro  tendency  to  worship  distinguishes 
the  tribes  of  the  Kafue,  and  the  national  faith  in  charms  enters 
into  all  they  do.  The  universal  fear  of  the  white  man  which 
distinguishes  the  tribes  remote  from  European  settlements  pre- 
vailed here  also  ;  and  although  it  is  the  sunny  slope  of  the 
range  constituting  the  eastern  wall  of  the  continent,  not  even 
the  half-caste  had  ever  penetrated  so  far.  The  white  man's 
goods,  though,  had  already  found  tiieir  way,  and  the  followers 
of  Livingstone  began  to  find  a  market  for  their  ornaments  and 
beads  in  cotton  cloth. 

The  Babisa  traders  take  the  place  of  the  Mambari,  who  enter 
the  interior  from  the  western  coast,  and  barter  various  articles 
for  ivory  and  slaves.  Villages  almost  innumerable,  according 
to  African  custom,  are  hid  away  among  tiie  hills,  whose  shad- 
ows offer  the  security  of  seclusion  to  the  trembling  people.  The 
general  conformation  and  nature  of  the  rocks  is  strikingly  like 
the  western  slope;  but  the  wonderful  valley  of  the  Quango  is 
wanting,  although  its  absence  is  fully  atoned  for  by  the  splendid 
ranges  of  cloud-capped  mountains,  which,  in  the  eyes  of  the  fol- 
lowers of  Livingstone,  accustomed  to  no  greater  altitudes  than 
their  marvellous  ant-hills,  seeme<i  like  the  pillars  of  the  heavens. 
There  are  five  of  these  ranges  quite  distinct  and  parallel,  and 
between  them  beautiful  hills  covered  with  tre«3.  "  On  the  tops 
of  these,"  says  Livingstone,  "  we  have  beautiful  white  quartz 
rocks,  and  some  have  a  capping  of  dolomite.  On  the  west  of 
the  second  range  we  have  great  masses  of  kyanite  or  disthene, 
and  on  the  flanks  of  the  third  and  fourth  a  great  deal  of  specular 
iron  ore  which  is  magnetic,  and  rounded  pieces  of  black  iron 
ore,  also  strongly  magnetic,  and  containing  a  very  large  jier- 
centage  of  the  metal.  The  sides  of  these  ranges  are  generally 
very  precipitous,  and  there  are  rivulets  between  which  are  not 


240 


EASTERN   RANGES. 


}>erennial.  Many  of  the  hills  have  been  raised  by  granite,  ex- 
actly like  that  of  the  Kaiorao.  Dikes  of  this  granite  may  be 
.seen  thrusting  up  immense  masses  of  mica  schist  and  quartz  or 
saudstone  schist,  and  making  the  strata  fold  over  them  on  each 
side,  as  clothes  hung  upon  a  line. 

"  When  we  came  to  the  top  of  the  outer  range  of  the  hills  we 
had  a  glorious  view.  At  a  short  distance  below  us  we  saw  the 
Kafue,  wending  away  over  a  forest -clad  plain  to  the  confluence, 
and  on  the  other  side  of  the  Zambesi,  beyond  that,  lay  a  long 
range  of  dark  hills.  A  line  of  fleecy  clouds  appeared  lying 
along  the  course  of  that  river  at  their  base.  The  plain  below 
U3,  at  the  left  of  the  Kafue,  had  more  large  game  on  it  than 
anywhere  else  I  had  seen  in  Africa.  Hundreds  of  buffaloes 
&vA  zebras  grazed  on  tlie  open  spaces,  and  there  stood  lordly 
elephants  feeding  majestically." 

But  this  charming  scenery  had  to  be  paid  for  by  serious  toil- 
ing and  climbing,  which  called  for  the  forfeit  of  several  of  the 
oxen,  one  of  which  was  a  special  beauty  which  Sekeletu  had 
been  anxious  to  have  displayed  at  the  settlement  of  the  white 
])eople,  as  it  was  ornamented  after  the  most  approved  fashion  of 
the  JSIakololo,  "  with  more  than  thirty  pieces  of  its  own  skin 
detached  and  hanging  down." 

The  animals  abounding  in  these  hills,  however,  rendered  the 
party  almost  independent  of  oxen,  as,  being  entirely  unfamiliar 
with  guns,  they  moved  about  in  easy  range  of  the  balls. 

The  health  of  Dr.  Livingstone  had  continued  singularly 
good,  owing  probably  as  mucli  to  his  greater  care  of  himself  as 
to  the  greater  hcalthfulncss  of  the  localities  through  which  he 
had  passed,  and  he  was  in  the  spirit  to  enjoy  all  that  occurred 
or  waa  to  be  scon.  He  was  greatly  encouraged  in  his  desire  to 
fstablish  a  station,  where  a  mission  might  grow  up  which  would 
act  as  a  centre  of  civilization.  There  could  be  nothing  to  dis- 
courage such  an  enterprise  in  this  magnificent  region. 

Having  declined  the  smoother  route  to  the  northeast  for  the 
banks  of  the  Zambesi,  Livingstone  was  anxioas  now  to  regain 
that  stream  atid  guided  liis  party  a  little  southward.  The 
country  became  more  and  more  thickly  planted  with  broad- 
leaved  bushes  as  they  approached  the  river,  and  they  needed 
re])eatedly  to  shout  to  the  elephants  to  stand  out  of  their  path. 


THE   ZAMBESI   AGAIN.  2-11 

The  huge  dwellers  in  these  thickets  seemed  absolutely  indiffer- 
ent to  man.  A  herd  of  buffalo  came  uj)  and  so  interfered  with 
their  progress  by  their  curiosity,  that  one  of  them  had  to  be  shot 
to  get  them  out  of  the  way,  and  a  female  elephant  dashed 
through  tiie  midst  of  the  men,  followed  by  three  calves.  The 
w^aterfowl  in  great  numbers  hung  leisurely  on  the  air  just  over 
them.  The  ai)undance  of  animal  life  was  beyond  anything 
ever  seen  even  in  Africa.  The  Zambesi  itself,  when  it  appeared 
again,  was  wider  and  deeper  and  more  rapid  than  they  had  left 
it  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  falls,  and  unlike  it  had  been  seen 
as  the  Leeambye,  in  the  great  valley  it  was  deeply  discolored 
by  the  washing  down  of  the  soil  from  the  surrounding  country. 
It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  no  mention  is  made  of  the  slightest 
discoloration  of  the  streams  in  Africa  between  the  two  great 
ridges  which  divide  the  eastern  and  western  coasts  from  the 
interior.  The  first  indications  of  the  Avashings  of  soil  in  the 
rivers,  in  the  western  journey,  were  observed  in  the  Quango. 
And  now  they  are  in  the  Zambesi  east  of  the  ridge. 

Passing  down  the  left  bank  of  the  river  there  were  quite  a 
number  of  islands  to  attract  the  attention  of  the  travellers. 
These  islands  were  clothed  with  verdure  and  seemed  to  possess 
singular  fertility.  One  of  these  river  gems — the  island  of 
Mengo — entertains,  besides  its  human  population,  a  herd  of 
buffaloes,  which  seem  to  find  ample  pasturage  within  its  small 
circumference,  and  dispute  their  claim  quite  valiantly  with  their 
human  neighbors  when  occasion  requires.  This  herd  might 
esisily  swim  to  the  shore  if  they  desired  to  do  so;  their  resi- 
dence on  the  "  little  foot  of  soil  "  seems  to  be  purely  a  matter  of 
choice. 

About  this  point  the  river  flows  between  the  country  of  the 
Ritonga  on  the  north  and  that  of  Banyai  on  the  south  side. 
On  both  sides  are  ranges  of  hills,  and  the  multitude  of  buffa- 
loes and  elephants  furnish  unending  supplies  to  the  people. 
"They  erect  stages  on  high  trees  overhanging  the  paths  by 
which  the  elephants  come,  and  then  use  a  large  spear  with  a 
handle  nearly  as  thick  as  a  man's  wrist,  and  four  or  five  feet 
long.  When  the  animal  comes  beneath  they  throw  the  spear, 
and  if  it  enters  between  the  ribs  above,  as  the  blade  is  at  least 
twenty  inches  long  by  two  broad,  the  motion  of  tlie  handle,  as 


242  NATIVE  PECULIARITIES. 

it  is  aided  hy  knocking  against  the  trees,  makes  frightful  gashes 
within,  and  soon  causes  death.  They  kill  them  also  by  means 
of  a  spear  inserted  in  a  beam  of  wood,  which  being  suspended 
on  the  branch  of  a  tree  by  a  cord  attached  to  a  latch  fastened  in 
tiie  path,  and  intended  to  be  struck  by  the  animal's  foot,  leads 
to  the  fall  of  the  beam,  and,  the  spear  being  poisoned,  causes 
death."    Hippopotami  are  taken  in  same  manner. 

The  paths  along  the  bank  were  only  such  as  had  been  made 
by  the  wild  animals;  there  were  no  roads.  Besides  the  ele- 
phants and  buffaloes,  which  we  have  mentioned,  there  were 
herds  of  zebras,  pallahs  and  water-bucks;  great  numbers  of 
wild  pigs,  koodoos  and  black  antelopes. 

The  party  began  to  feel  the  oppression  of  the  sun  only  after 
entering  these  lowlands,  though  there  were  rains  every  day  and 
considerable  cloudiness.  The  sun  frequently  came  out  with 
*'  scorching  intensity."  The  men  had  never  suiFered  from  the 
heat  while  on  the  hills. 

Livingstone  considered  it  worthy  of  mention  that  in  all  his 
journey  across  the  continent  he  never  met  an  albino,  though 
they  were  reported  by  the  Portuguese  to  be  quite  numerous. 
''The  natives  in  this  section  ])resent  the  same  admixture  of 
color,  ranging  from  very  dark  to  light  olive,  which  distinguished 
those  of  Londo,  They  all  have  the  thick  lips  and  flat  noses, 
but  instances  of  the  ugly  negro  physiognomy  are  rarely  to  be 
sc^en."  They  have  a  singular  fashion  of  n)arking  themselves, 
from  the  roots  of  the  hair  on  the  forehead  to  the  tip  of  the  nose, 
by  little  raised  cicatrices  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  length. 

"The  women  here  are  in  the  habit  of  piercing  the  upper  lip, 
and  sjradually  enhirging  the  orifice  until  they  can  insert  a  shell. 
THp  lip  then  appears  drawn  out  beyond  the  perpendicular  of  the 
HM'^o,  and  gives  them  a  most  ungainly  aspect.  Sekwebu  re- 
in:irl<ed,  'These  women  want  to  make  their  mouths  like  those 
or  lucks;'  and,  indeed,  it  does  appear  as  if  they  had  the  idea 
th 't  female  beauty  of  lip  had  been  attained  by  the  Ornithorhyn- 
ch'i.H  paradoxus  alone.  This  custom  prevails  throughout  the 
coMiitry  of  the  Maravi,  and  no  one  could  see  it  without  confes- 
sing; that  fashion  hud  never  led  women  to  a  freak  more  mad." 

'{'hce  is  a  remarkable  absence  of  deformities.  There  is  a 
hovor  of  everything  which   is  out  of  the  apj)arent  order  of  na- 


Ilppiii 


niiHiil      II    llin  I     i\  nil 


mmm<^s^m 


CONTINUED   FRIENDLINESS.  245 

ture  in  very  many  of  the  tribes.  To  this  is  probably  attributa- 
ble the  fact  that  Livingstone  found  no  albinos.  They  are  so 
disliked  that  it  is  not  uncommon  to  put  the  infants  to  death. 
Parents  kill  their  own  children  who  are  so  unfortunate  as  to 
possess  a  white  face.  The  general  absence  of  deformed  persons 
is  partly  owing  to  their  destruction  in  infancy,  and  partly  to  the 
mode  of  life  being  a  natural  one,  so  far  as  ventilation  and  food 
are  concernetl.  They  use  but  few  unwholesome  mixtures  as 
condiments,  and,  though  their  undress  exposes  them  to  the  vicissi- 
tudes of  the  temperature,  it  does  not  harbor  vomites.  It  was 
observed  that  when  small-pox  and  measles  visited  the  country 
they  were  most  severe  on  the  half-castes  who  were  clothed.  In 
several  tribes,  a  child  whieh  is  said  to  "tlola,"  transgress,  is  put 
to  death.  "Tlolo,"  or  transgression,  is  ascribed  to  several  curious 
cases.  A  child  who  cut  the  upper  front  teeth  before  the  under 
was  always  put  to  death  among  the  Bakaa,  and,  I  believe,  also 
among  the  Bakwains.  In  some  tribes,  a  case  of  twins  renders 
one  of  them  liable  to  death  ;  and  an  ox  which,  while  lying  in 
the  pen,  beats  the  ground  with  its  tail,  is  treated  in  the  same 
way.  It  is  thought  to  be  calling  death  to  visit  the  tribe.  When 
Livingstone  was  coming  through  Londa,  his  men  carried  a  great 
number  of  fowls,  of  a  larger  breed  than  any  they  had  at  home. 
If  one  crowed  before  midnight  it  had  been  guilty  of  "tlolo," 
and  was  killed.  The  men  often  carried  them  sitting  on  their 
guns,  and  if  one  began  to  crow  in  a  forest  the  owner  would  give 
it  a  beating,  by  way  of  teaching  it  not  to  be  guilty  of  crowing 
at  unseasonable  hours. 

The  friendliness  of  the  tribes  had  continued  so  marked,  that 
Livingstone  was  cherishing  the  hope  that  he  would  find  none 
of  the  painful  experiences  which  made  the  approach  to  the  An- 
gola borders  the  bitterest  part  of  his  former  journey.  It  was, 
therefore,  as  surprising  as  vexatious  to  find  the  town  of  Selole  in 
great  excitement,  and  to  be  told  that  he  and  his  party  were  re- 
garded as  enemies,  and,  to  that,  Selole  had  already  sent  a  mes- 
senger to  the  Mburuma  to  raise  that  tribe  against  them.  These 
warlike  preparations,  however,  had  grown  out  of  a  misunder- 
standing of  the  nature  of  Livingstone's  expedition  and  were  easily 
quelled  by  the  true  representations.  There  had  been  an  Italian 
in  the  country,  who  entered  making  ihe  best  promises,  but  who, 


246  ADVENTURE    WITH    AX    ELEPHANT. 

^vhen  the  occasion  allowed,  fell  upon  the  islands  and  took  away 
many  of  the  people  and  large  quantities  of  ivory.  Selole  had 
associated  Livingstone  with  that  man,  who  having  been  killed 
some  time  before,  he  -was  represented  as  having  "  risen  from  the 
dead." 

An  adventure  with  an  elephant,  which  occurred  just  after 
parting  with  Selole,  throws  some  light  on  the  singular  tenacity 
with  which  that  animal  clings  to  life,  and  may  serve  the  would- 
be-hunters  a  good  turn.  They  had  come  in  sight  of  a  troop  of 
elephants ;  it  is  astonishing  how  numerous  these  troops  are  some- 
times ;  Dr.  Barth  once .  counted  over  ninety  in  a  herd.  The 
men  of  Livingstone,  on  the  occasion  mentioned,  set  out  to  secure 
some  meat ;  as  "  they  drew  near/'  says  the  account,  "  the  troop 
began  to  run ;  one  of  them  fell  into  a  hole,  and  before  he  could 
extricate  himself  an  opportunity  was  aiforded  for  all  the  men 
to  throw  their  spears.  When  he  rose  he  was  like  a  huge  porcu- 
])ine,  for  each  of  the  seventy  or  eighty  men  had  discharged  more 
than  one  spear  at  him.  As  they  had  no  more,  they  sent  for  me 
to  finish  him.  In  order  to  put  h-im  at  once  out  of  pain,  I  went 
to  within  twenty  yards,  there  being  a  bank  between  us  which  he 
could  not  readily  climb.  I  rested  the  gun  on  an  ant-hill  so  as 
to  take  steady  aim  ;  but,  though  I  fired  twelve  two-ounce  bullets, 
all  I  had,  into  different  parts,  I  could  not  kill  him.  As  it  was 
becoming  dark,  I  advised  my  men  to  lot  him  stand,  being  sure 
of  finding  him  dead  in  the  morning;  but,  though  we  searched 
all  the  next  day,  and  went  more  than  ten  miles,  we  never  saw 
him  again.  I  mention  this  to  young  men  who  may  think  that 
they  will  be  able  to  hunt  ele|)hants  on  foot  by  adopting  the 
Ceylon  practice  of  killing  them  by  one  ball  in  the  brain.  I  be- 
lieve that  in  Africa  the  practice  of  standing  before  an  elephant, 
expecting  to  kill  him  with  one  shot,  would  be  certain  death  to 
the  hunter;  and  I  would  add,  for  tlie  information  of  those  who 
may  think  that  because  I  met  with  a  great  abundance  of  game 
here  they  also  might  find  rare  sport,  that  the  tsetse  exists  all 
along  both  banks  of  the  Zambesi,  and  there  can  be  no  hunting 
by  means  of  horses.  Hunting  on  foot  in  this  climate  is  such  ex- 
cessively hard  work,  that  I  feel  certain  the  keenest  sportsman 
would  very  soon  turn  away  from  it  in  disgust.  I  myself  was 
rather  glad,  when  furnished  with  the  excuse  that  I  had  no  longer 


BUSPICIOUS   CONDUCT.  247 

any  balls,  to  hand  over  all  the  hunting  to  my  men,  who  had  no 
more  love  for  the  sport  than  myself,  as  tkey  never  engaged  in 
it  except  when  forced  by  hunger." 

Though  the  explanation  of  Livingstone  seemed  to  be  received 
as  true,  it  did  not  inspire  full  confidence,  as  could  be  clearly 
seen  in  the  absence  of  Mburuma  himself,  and  the  care  which  his 
people  were  at  to  keep  always  in  large  bodies  and  thoroughly 
armed. 

The  greatest  anxiety  which  Livingstone  had  was  to  pass  these 
people  so  quietly  and  peaceably  that  they  would  welcome  him 
should  he  return,  as  he  expected  to  do.  These  people  of  Mbu- 
ruma were,  however,  manifestly  so  treacherous  that  the  greatest 
caution  was  needed  to  avoid  a  collision  with  them  ;  and  Dr. 
Livingstone  found  that  the  experience  he  had  gained  was  of 
considerable  value.  They  were  clearly  disposed  to  improve  the 
slightest  chance  to  plunder  or  destroy  the  whole  party.  The 
trying  character  of  the  situation  may  be  seen  in  the  account 
which  Dr.  Livingstone  himself  gives;  says  he: 

"  Mburuma  sent  two  men  as  guides  to  the  Loangwa.  These 
men  tried  to  bring  us  to  a  stand,  at  a  distance  of  about  six  miles 
from  the  village,  by  the  notice,  '  Mburuma  says  you  are  to  sleep 
under  that  tree.'  On  declining  to  do  this,  we  were  told  that  we 
must  wait  at  a  certain  village  for  a  sui)ply  of  corn.  As  none 
appeared  in  an  hour,  I  proceeded  on  the  march.  It  is  not  quite 
certain  that  their  intentions  were  hostile,  but  this  seemed  to  dis- 
arrange their  plans,  and  one  of  them  was  soon  observed  running 
back  to  Mburuma.  They  had  first  of  all  tried  to  separate  our 
party  by  volunteering  the  loan  of  a  canoe  to  convey  Sekvvebu 
and  me,  together  with  our  luggage,  by  way  of  the  river,  and,  as 
it  was  ])resse<l  upon  us,  I  thought  that  this  was  their  design. 
The  next  attempt  was  to  detain  us  in  the  pass;  but,  betraying 
no  suspicion,  we  civilly  declined  to  place  ourselves  in  their  power 
in  an  unfavorable  position.  We  afterward  heard  that  a  party 
of  Babisa  traders,  who  came  from  the  northeast,  bringing  Eng- 
lish goods  from  Mozambique,  had  been  plundered  by  this  same 
people." 

Although  the  party  reached  the  confluence  of  the  Loangwa 
without  greater  trouble  than  the  manifestly  wicked  designs  of 
Mburuma's  people,  Livingstone  felt  by  no  means  confident  that 


248  DANGER  AND   DELIVERANCE. 

they  would  pass  in  safety.  He  could  only  obtain  the  use  of 
two  canoes  for  the  purpose  of  crossing  the  stream,  and  it  seemed 
that  the  Mburuma  would  at  last  accomplish  his  object  and  get 
the  party  divided.  He  confesses  that  he  felt  some  turmoil  of 
spirit  in  the  evening  at  the  prospect  of  having  all  his  efforts 
for  the  welfare  of  this  great  region  and  its  teeming  population 
knocked  on  the  head  by  savages  to-morrow,  who  might  be  said 
to  "  know  not  what  they  do."  It  seemed  such  a  pity  that  the 
importsmt  fact  of  the  existence  of  the  two  healthy  ridges  whicli 
he  had  discovered  should  not  become  known  in  Christendom, 
for  a  confirmation  would  thereby  have  been  given  to  the  idea 
that  Africa  is  not  open  to  the  gospel.  But  he  read  that  Jesus 
said,  "All  power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and  on  earth;  go 

ye,  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations and  lo,  I  am  idth 

you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  xcorld^  He  took  this  as  his 
word  of  honor,  and  then  went  out  to  take  observations  for  lati- 
tude and  longitude,  which  he  estimated,  from  the  ruins  of  a 
stone  church  which  he  found  just  at  the  confluence  of  the  Loang\A'ti 
with  the  Zambesi,  and  found  to  be:  latitude,  15°  37'  22"  S., 
longitude,  30°  32'  E. 

When  the  morning  came  there  were  numbers  of  men  armed, 
who  stood  by  while  the  goods  and  load  after  load  of  the  men 
were  being  sent  across.  Livingstone  himself  was  left  to  the  last 
boat,  but,  concealing  whatever  fear  he  may  have  felt,  he  be- 
guiled the  time  pleasantly  exhibiting  various  articles  to  his  sup- 
posed enemies  as  pleasantly  as  he  could  have  done  to  his  own 
Makololo,  and,  finally,  when  his  time  came  to  enter  the  boat, 
he  "  thanked  them  for  their  kindness,"  and,  wishing  them  peac«, 
passed  over  unmolested,  feeling  in  his  heart  exceedingly  grati- 
fied to  God  for  preserving  him  and  preserving  peace,  which  he 
longed  to  bestow  on  Africa. 

The  party  were  now  entering  the  outskirts  of  Portuguese  en- 
terprise, extending  from  their  colony  on  the  east  coast.  The 
same  indications  of  a  mistaken  policy  which  were  so  abundant 
in  Angola  wore  to  be  seen  here  also,  and  here,  as  there,  they 
have  been  mthor  the  enemies  than  the  helpers  of  the  natives  at 
the  junction  of  the  Loangwa  and  Zambesi.  The  town  of  Zumbo 
contains  a  number  of  ruins  of  stone  houses.  "They  all  laced 
the  river,  and  were  high  enough  up  the  flanks  of  the  hill  Maz- 


BUINS   OF   ZUMBO.  249 

anzwe  to  command  a  pleasant  view  of  the  broad  Zambesi. 
These  establishments  had  all  been  built  on  one  plan — a  house 
on  one  side  of  a  large  court,  surrounded  by  a  wall ;  both  houses 
and  walls  had  been  built  of  soft  gray  sandstone  cemented  to- 
gether with  mud.  The  work  had  been  performed  by  slaves 
ignorant  of  building,  for  the  stones  were  not  often  placed  so  as 
to  cover  the  seams  below.  Hence  you  frequently  find  the  join- 
ings forming  one  seam  from  the  top  to  the  bottom.  Much  mortar 
or  clay  had  been  used  to  cover  defects,  and  now  trees  of  the  fig 
family  grow  upon  the  walls  and  clasp  them  with  their  roots. 
When  the  clay  is  moistened,  masses  of  the  walls  come  down  by 
wholesale.  Some  of  the  rafters  and  beams  had  fallen  in,  but  were 
entire,  and  there  were  some  trees  in  the  middle  of  the  houses  as 
large  as  a  man's  body.  On  the  opposite  or  south  bank  of  the 
Zambesi  we  saw  the  remains  of  a  wall  on  a  height  which  was 
probably  a  fort,  and  the  church  stood  at  a  central  point,  formed 
by  the  right  bank  of  the  Loangwa  and  the  left  of  the  Zambesi. 

"  The  situation  of  Zumbo  was  admirably  well  chosen  as  a  site 
for  commerce.  Looking  backward  we  see  a  mass  of  high,  dark 
mountains,  covered  with  trees ;  behind  us  rises  the  fine  high  hill 
Mazanzwe,  which  stretches  away  northward  along  the  left  bank 
of  the  Loangwa;  to  the  southeast  lies  an  open  country,  with  a 
small  round  hill  in  the  distance  called  Tofulo.  The  merchants, 
as  they  sat  beneath  the  verandahs  in  front  of  their  houses,  had 
a  magnificent  view  of  the  two  rivers  at  their  confluence;  of  their 
church  at  the  angle ;  and  of  all  the  gardens  which  they  had  on 
both  sides  of  the  rivers." 

But  here,  as  in  Angola,  the  churches  have  exerted  but  trifling 
influence ;  the  people  have  not  been  turned  from  their  supersti- 
tions; and  the  poorly-paid  officials  having  become  merchants 
from  necessity,  and  allowed  their  necessity  to  become  avarice, 
trade  nearly  altogether  in  slaves  and  ivory.  Livingstone  soon 
found  that  he  had  encountered  the  annoyance  and  danger  of 
passing  through  the  midst  of  people  who  had  been  for  two  years 
in  war  with  the  white  settlers.  Being  on  the  north  side  of  the 
river  and  without  means  of  crossing,  he  was  forced  to  ex{X)se 
himself  on  the  savage  side,  while  on  the  south  side  he  would 
have  been  under  the  authority  of  the  Portuguese.  He  had, 
however,  no  disposition  to  take  sides  in  such  a  quarrel,  and 


250  DANCING   FOR   CXDRN. 

moved  along  leisurely,  although  he  was  cautioned  that  Npende 
had  determined  to  allow  no  white  man  to  pass  through  his 
territory. 

The  animal  life  along  the  river  continued  abundant,  and 
while  passing  along  among  the  trees,  not  far  from  Zumbo,  three 
buffaloes,  which  had  been  passed  without  being  observed,  dis- 
covering their  proximity,  became  alarmed  and  dashed  through 
the  company  furiously.  The  ox  on  which  Livingstone  was 
mounted  rushed  off  at  a  swift  gallop,  and  when  he  succeeded 
in  turning  him  back  he  saw  that  one  of  his  men  had  enjoyed  a 
very  unexpected  aerial  tour.  A  buffalo  had  passed  so  near  him 
that  he  had  thrown  down  his  burden  and  stabbed  him  in  the 
side.  Thus  assaulted  the  beast  turned  suddenly  upon  him  and 
carried  him  off  on  his  horns,  but  though  he  was  tossed  quite  a 
distance  there  was  no  serious  injury  experienced. 

It  is  pretty  certain  that  there  is  no  other  country  through 
which  a  hundred  and  fourteen  strong,  hearty  fellows  could  pass 
everywhere  entertained  with  such  abundance.  Sekwebu,  the 
principal  man,  had  foretold  the  liberality  of  the  tribes  along  the 
Zambesi,  he  having  known  them  many  years  before ;  all  hands 
agreed  that  he  had  told  only  the  truth.  The  men  took  care  for 
themselves,  and  having  had  very  little  trouble  by  the  way,  they 
were  light-hearted  and  free;  they  generally  conducted  tlieir 
peaceable  forays  by  going  into  the  villages  and  commencing  to 
dance,  and,  when  it  is  remembered  that  there  were  in  the  party 
representatives  of  nearly  all  the  tribes  which  are  in  any  way 
under  the  Makololo  authority,  it  is  easily  conceivable  that  the 
maidens  of  these  villages  were  deeply  interested  by  the  compli- 
cation of  the  capers  that  were  cut.  It  was  as  natural  as  could 
be  for  them  to  lavish  all  their  corn  on  the  gay  and  gallant 
strangers.  These  gallant  men  were  considerably  in  advance  of 
most  of  those  whom  they  visited,  and  laughed  among  thejn- 
aelves  about  their  success.  They  rejoiced  in  their  well-fed  ap- 
pearance ;  "  look,"  they  would  say,  "  though  we  have  been  so 
long  away  from  home  not  one  of  us  has  become  lean." 

The  rich,  beautiful,  fresh-looking,  healthy  country  contrasted 
most  charmingly  with  the  sultry,  parched,  drooping,  half-alive 
region  in  the  south.  The  almost  daily  showers  imparted  a  de- 
lightful freshness  to  all  things.     It  was  hardly  2-)ossible  for  Dr. 


^UKrBIs>EI>   BY    BUFFALOES 


A   FIGHT   AVERTED.  253 

Livingstone  to  give  the  anxiety  which  might  have  been  natural 
enough  to  the  probable  difficulties  which  he  was  to  confront 
when  he  should  reach  Mj^ende's  village.     He  did,  however,  use 
forethought  enough  to  propitiate  such  of  his  prominent  subjects 
as  had  villages  on  their  path,  trusting  that  tiicy  would  be  dis- 
posed to  exert  some  favorable  influence,  or,  if  no  better,  at  least 
might  circulate  the  true  nature  of  his  errand  in  advance  of  him. 
But  when,  on  the  23d   of  January,  the  sun  arose  on  them  sur- 
rounded  by  a  large  party  of  Mpende's  people,  uttering  their 
strange  cries  and  waving  their  charms,  and  kindling  their  mystic 
fire,  they  were  neither  surprised  nor  frightened.     But  though 
Livingstone  had  no  fear  that  his  men,  who  were  rejoicing  in  the 
prospect  of  a  fight,  would  fail  to  hold  the  day  against  the  as- 
sailants, he  preferred  to  stand  looking  to  the  Ruler  of  hearts, 
and  praying  to  be  spared  the  necessity  of  self-defence.     He  was 
a  noble  example  of  a  man   standing  ready,  under  all  circum- 
atances,  to  crucify  his  fondest  affection  and  strongest  passion  fur 
the  accxjmplishment  of  an  elevated  object.     His  men,  though, 
being  trained   to   marauding  and  suffering  in  their  wardrobes 
the  effects  of  a  long  tramp,  looked  on  the  situation  as  quite  a 
promising  affair;  a- "good  hit"  by  which  they  trusted  to  dress 
up  before  entering  the  homes  of  the  white  people.     Following 
the  custom  of  Sebituane,  who  had  trained  his  braves,  Livingstone 
had  an  ox  slaughtered,  that  they  might  whet  their  courage  for 
a  fight  on  a  good  meal  of  flesh.     But  while  he  was  waiting  God 
was  working,  and  Livingstone  soon  saw  the  results  of  his  pro- 
vidence.    In  the  midst  of  his  warlike  preparations  one  of  the 
men  who  had  talked  with    Livingstone  by  the  way  entered   the 
council  of  Mpende  with  information  which   changed  the  mind 
of  that  chief.   He  was  in  war  with  the  Portuguese,  and  thought 
of  Livingstone  as  one  of  his  enemies  ;  but  when  he  heard  it  inti- 
mated that  the  stranger  belonged  to  "  the  tribe  who  love  the 
black   man"  (they  designate  the  English  thus),  he  was  as  kind 
as  he  had  been  unfriendly,  and  expressed  his  regret  that  he  had 
been   misinformed  and  so   led   to  annoy  "  the  man  who  had  a 
heart  for  him."     When  Dr.  Livingstone  knew  the  favorable  de- 
cision of  the  council,  he  sent  Sekwebu  to  speak  about  the  pur- 
chase of  a  canoe,  giving  as  one  of  his  reasons  that  one  of  the 
men  being  sick  he  desired  to  get  a  canoe  in  which  to  carry  him 


254  "  THINGS,  NOT   MEN." 

and  so  relieve  the  others  of  the  burden  of  carrying  him.  Before 
Sekwebu  could  finish,  Mpende  remarked,  "  That  white  man  is 
truly  one  of  our  friends.  See  how  he  lets  me  know  his  afflic- 
tions !  "  Sekwebu  adroitly  took  advantage  of  tins  turn  in  the 
conversation,  and  said,  '*Ah !  if  you  only  knew  him  as  well  as 
we  do  who  have  lived  with  him,  you  Avould  understand  that  he 
highly  values  your  friendship  and  that  of  Mburuma,  and,  as  he 
is  a  stranger,  he  trusts  in  you  to  direct  him."  He  replied, 
"  Well,  he  ought  to  cross  to  the  other  side  of  the  river,  for  this 
bank  is  hilly  and  rough,  and  the  way  to  Tete  is  longer  on  this 
than  on  the  opposite  bank."  "  But  who  will  take  us  across,  if 
you  do  not?"  "Truly!"  replied  Mpende;"!  only  wish  you 
had  come  sooner  to  tell  me  about  him  ;  but  he  shall  cross." 

The  Zambesi  at  this  point  was  twelve  hundred  yards  wide, 
but  the  passage  was  made  safely,  and  Livingstone  congratulated 
himself  on  being  on  the  side  less  exposed  to  petty  annoyances, 
and  offering  at  the  same  time  an  easier  path  to  the  sea. 

It  was  gratifying  to  Livingstone  to  find  all  the  people  occupy- 
ing the  country  cursed  by  the  slave  trade  of  the  Portuguese  at 
least  conscious  of  its  meanness ;  they  excuse  themselves  quite 
after  the  manner  of  more  enliglitcned  sinners  for  their  engaging 
in  barter  which  requires  the  giving  of  human  beings  into  bondage 
by  putting  greater  guilt  on  the  tempter.  This  is  the  old  dodge, 
which  was  not  quite  equal  to  the  emergency  of  our  too  yielding 
mother  in  Eden,  and  it  cannot  deliver  even  the  heathen  from 
our  condemnation  ;  yet  certainly  it  can  hardly  be  a  pleasing  re- 
flection to  those  who  would  take  the  responsibility  of  encourag- 
ing such  a  trade  that  their  victims,  too  weak  to  resist  them,  are 
good  enough  to  curse  them,  and  too  degraded  to  be  pitied  by 
them,  are  yet  noble  enough  to  despise  them.  These  people  speak 
of  the  English  as  max,  but  of  the  slave-traders  they  say,  "they 
are  not  men,  they  are  only  things."  The  idea  is  quite  prevalent 
that  those  who  have  purcha.se<l  slaves  of  them  have  done  them 
an  injury.  "All  the  slaves  of  Nyungwe,"  said  one,  "  are  our 
children  ;  the  Bozunga  (Portuguese)  have  built  the  town  at  our 
expense." 

The  presence  of  traders  enabled  Livingstone  to  replenish  the 
wardrobes  of  his  men,  which  they  had  been  denied  attending  to 
for  themselves  in  the  village  of  Mpende,  and  they  were  happier. 


SAND   RIVERS.  255 

In  latitude  15°  38'  34"  south,  longitude  31°  V  east,  on  the 
1st  of  February,  they  crossed  tiie  Zingesi,  one  of  the  sand-rivu- 
lets which  constitute  quite  a  feature  of  the  country.  It  was  in 
flood  at  that  time  and  flowed  along  quite  waist-deep.  These 
sand-rivers  are  the  agencies  which  have  probably  had  much  to 
do  in  the  changes  which  are  manifestly  occurring  in  the  face  of 
the  country  continually.  In  trying  to  ford  this  stream  Dr. 
Livingstone  felt  thousands  of  particles  of  coarse  sand  beating 
against  his  legs.  These  rivers  remove  vast  quantities  of  disin- 
tegrated rock  before  it  has  time  enough  to  form  soil,  and  one 
diving  below  the  surface  may  hear  tliousands  of  tiny  stones 
knocking  against  each  other  continually.  And  we  can  readily 
believe  that  "  this  attrition,  carried  on  for  hundreds  of  miles  in 
difierent  rivers,  must  have  an  effect  greater  than  if  all  the 
pestles  and  mortars  and  mills  of  the  world  were  grinding  and 
wearing  away  the  rocks." 

The  general  order  was  somewhat  interrupted  by  the  "  game 
laws  "  which  protected  the  animal  kingdom.  The  lands  of  each 
cliief  are  very  well  defined,  the  boundaries  being  usually  marked 
by  rivulets,  great  numbers  of  which  flow  into  the  Zambesi  from 
both  banks,  and  if  an  elephant  is  wounded  on  one  man's  land 
and  dies  on  that  of  another,  the  under  half  of  the  carcass  is 
claimed  by  the  lord  of  the  soil ;  and  so  stringent  is  the  law,  that 
the  hunter  cannot  begin  at  once  to  cut  up  his  own  elephant,  but 
must  send  notice  to  the  lord  of  the  soil  on  which  it  lies,  and 
wait  until  that  personage  sends  one  authorized  to  see  a  fair 
partition  made.  If  the  hunter  should  begin  to  cut  up  before 
the  agent  of  the  landowner  arrives,  he  is  liable  to  lose  both  the 
tusks  and  all  the  flesh.  The  hind  leg  of  a  buffalo  must  also  be 
given  to  the  man  on  whose  land  the  animal  was  grazing,  and 
a  still  larger  quantity  of  the  eland,  which  here  and  everywhere 
else  in  the  country  is  esteemed  right  royal  food. 

If  these  laws  had  been  met  here  for  the  first  time,  Living- 
stone would  probably  have  considered  them  a  sort  of  tax  on  the 
traveller  for  passing  through  another's  country,  but  they  are 
found  far  in  the  south.  In  the  interior  too  there  are  game  laws, 
though  not  exactly  such  as  these.  The  man  who  first  wounds 
an  animal,  though  he  has  inflicted  but  a  mere  scratch,  is  con- 
sidered the  killer  of  it ;  the  second  is  entitled  to  a  hind  quarter, 


256  THE   SPOTTED   HYENA. 

and  the  third  to  a  fore-leg.  The  chiefs  are  generally  entitled  to 
a  share  as  tribute;  in  some  parts  it  is  the  breast,  in  othei-s  the 
whole  of  the  ribs  and  one  fore-leg.  Dr.  Livingstone  generally 
respected  this  law,  although  exceptions  are  sometimes  made  when 
animals  are  killed  by  guns.  The  knowledge  that  he  who  suc- 
ceeds in  reaching  the  wounded  beast  first  is  entitled  to  a  share 
stimulates  the  whole  party  to  greater  exertions  in  despatching  it. 
Among  his  own  followers  these  laws  were  in  some  force.  One 
of  the  men  having  a  knowledge  of  elephant  medicine  generally 
went  boldly  in  advance  of  the  others,  and  on  Ms  decision  the 
choice  depended ;  and  he  was  recognized  as  having  a  right  to 
certain  parts  of  the  elephant  as  the  tribute  to  his  office. 

The  huts  in  this  section  they  found  erected  on  high  stages  in 
the  midst  of  gardens.  The  spotted  hyena  is  the  scourge  of  the 
country,  and  his  cowardly  but  savage  prowling  makes  it  neces- 
sary to  sleep  out  of  his  reach.  The  precaution  of  elevated 
resting-places  serves  well  against  the  lions  and  elephants,  who 
are  not  scrupulous  about  disturbing  the  sweetest  rejwse  by 
their  dreadful  intrusions.  The  hyena  particularly  is  dreaded, 
because  he  frequently  approaches  persons  lying  asleep  arnl 
makes  horrid  work  with  their  features.  Men  are  frequently 
killed  and  children  carried  away ;  for  though  the  voice  of  a 
human  being  fills  him  with  terror,  he  never  unfastens  his  teeth 
when  once  he  has  a  taste  of  blood  if  it  is  possible  to  drag  his 
victim  away.  These  animals  prowl  about  under  cover  of  the 
darkness,  uttering  the  most  horrid  yells.  Their  filthy  gluttony 
finds  a  choice  repast  in  the  worst  forms  of  putridity.  The 
strength  of  its  jaws  is  only  equalled  by  its  wonderful  power  of 
digestion.  It  will  easily  crush  in  its  teeth  the  largest  bones  of 
an  ox,  and  digest  them  without  the  slightest  inconvenience. 
But  the  people  had  plenty,  and  though  under  the  necessity  of 
building  their  nests  in  the  air  like  the  birds,  were  yet  quite 
comfortable  and  light-hearted.  Their  gardens  are  nearly  all  of 
them  reclaimed  from  the  forests,  which  abound  in  gigantic 
trees.  It  is  probably  the  peculiarly  ravenous  habits  of  their 
sneaking  enemy  which  explain  the  fact  that  many  of  these 
large  trees  contain  the  bodies  of  their  dead.  Among  the  trees 
of  importance  the  tamarind  is  quite  conspicuous,  on  account  of 
the  large  numbers  of  them  and  its  valuable  fruit.     There  is  an- 


LIVINGSTONES   GENEROSITY. 


257 


other,  not  unlike  it,  called  the  niotondo,  the  wood  of  which  is 
very  highly  valued  by  the  Portuguese  for  building  boats. 

The  Zambesi  all  along  east  of  the  ridge  is  subject  to  frequent 
freshets,  occasioned  by  the  rains,  which  were  found  to  be  of 
almost  daily  occurrence.  Dr.  Livingstone  suggests  that  it  is 
probably  owing  to  these  freshets  that  the  Portuguese  on  the 
coast  have  failed  to  discover  the  periodical  overflow  of  the  river, 
which  is  discoverable  in  the  great  interior  valley,  where  it  is 
not  affected  by  so  many  tributaries,  and  where  the  dry  and  wet 
seasons  are  more  marked.  And  it  was  his  opinion  that  if  the 
Zambesi  was  continued  southward  to  the  Cape,  being  allowed  to 
flow  through  the  flat  country  of  the  desert,  it  would  be  seen  to 
have  the  same  character  as  the  Nile  in  Egypt. 

The  generosity  of  the  people  continued  to  lighten  the  care  of 
travelling.  The  villagers  Avere  quite  generous  of  supplies,  and 
M-^iatever  disposition  to  ask  or  demand  gifts  they  manifested 
was  clearly  attributable  to  the  association  with  the  despiciible 
class  of  white  men  who  have  been  among  them  as  traders :  the 
contemptible  gifts  which  these  men  frequently  make,  such  as  a 
few  buttons,  or  some  other  equally  worthless  object,  gives  rise 
to  the  necessity,  on  the  part  of  the  natives,  for  making  demands 
for  articles  of  some  value,  which  may  be  in  some  sort  an  equiva- 
lent for  their  attentions.  The  custom  of  Dr.  Livingstone,  of 
making  presents  of  real  value,  as  far  as  lay  in  his  power,  went 
far  toward  elevating  him  in  the  confidence  of  the  people,  and 
contributed  no  little  to  the  honor  of  the  English  name  in  their 
estimation.  Those  Avho  pursue  another  course  are  greatly  mis- 
taken in  counting  on  the  ignorance  of  the  natives  to  excuse 
them.  They  are  aware  of  the  worthlessness  of  the  articles,  and 
receive  them  with  a  degree  of  shame,  and  ladies  may  be  seen  to 
hand  it  quickly  to  the  attendants,  and,  when  they  retire,  laugh 
until  the  tears  stand  in  their  eyes,  saying  to  those  about  them, 
"Is  that  a  white  man?  then  ihcre  are  niggards  among  them 
too.  Some  of  them  are  born  without  hearts ! "  One  white 
trader,  having  presented  an  old  gun  to  a  chief,  became  a  stand- 
ing joke  in  the  tribe:  "The  white  man  who  made  a  present  of  a 
gun  that  was  new  when  his  grandfather  was  sucking  his  great- 
grandmother." 


13 


CHAPTEE    XI. 

CHICOVA  TO   TETE, 

District  of  Chicova — Agriculture — Game  Laws — Banyai  Prayers  —  Makololo 
Faith — Insect  Life — Birds — Their  Songs — Squirrel — Geological  Features — 
Grapes — Plums — Animal  Life— Superstition  about  Lions — The  Korwe — A 
Model  Husband — Helpful  Facts  —  Government  of  the  Banyai  —  Selecting 
Chiefs — Monina's  Opposition — Fight  Threatened  —  Sudden  Derangement — 
Conscience  at  Work — "  A  Guilt " — An  Ordeal — Woman's  Eights — The  Son-in- 
Law — Dignity  of  Woman — Good  Husbands,  Bad  Hunters — The  Rhinoceros — 
Andersson's  Adventure — Terrible  Encounter — Rhinoceros  Among  Beasts — 
Villages  Avoided — Nearing  Tete — Livingstone  Emaciated— Eight  Miles  Only 
— A  Retrospect — A  Prospect — Noble  Picture — Arrival  of  Messengers — Civil- 
ized Breakfast — Reception  at  Tete — The  Source  of  the  Zambesi  Unknown — 
The  Value  of  the  Discovery. 

Althoitgh  it  was  most  desirable  to  follow  the  river  as 
closely  as  possible,  the  continued  floods,  together  with  the  hos- 
tile character  of  some  of  the  petty  chiefs  who  Avould  be  on  the 
line  of  that  route,  determined  Dr.  Livingstone  on  a  more  south- 
ern path  across  the  district  of  Chicova.  This  prevented  his 
making  any  observations  of  the  Zambesi  between  the  hills  west 
of  the  Chicova  flats  and  the  town  of  Tete.  The  section  of 
country  through  which  he  passed  was  not  wanting  in  beauty, 
and  there  were  some  things  of  special  interest,  on  account  of 
which  ho  was  rather  gratified  by  the  change  of  route.  The 
district  had  been  reported  to  contain  silver  mines,  and  the 
curiosity  of  one  so  long  buried  in  the  wilds  was  awake  for  such 
evidences  of  European  enterprise.  His  own  investigations  did 
not,  however,  confirm  the  report ;  the  natives  knew  nothing  of 
silver.  But  the  finding  of  coal  and  the  news  of  gold-washings 
relieved  the  disappointment  as  to  silver. 

There  were  no  herds  to  remind  him  of  the  more  inland 
fnenfJs,  for  the  fj^rtsr.  dwells  along  the  little  streams  and  rivu- 
lets which  thread  the  country  ;  the  inhabitants  are  therefore 
devoto<l  to  agricultural  pursuits,  perhaps  as  much  from  neces- 
sity as  from  preference.  They  are  a  good-looking,  manly  set, 
258 


GAME   LAWS.  259 

generous  enough  to  assist  and  selfish  enough  to  hinder  a  warm- 
hearted traveller,  as  Livingstone  could  testify  out  of  his  own 
experience. 

Among  the  troublesome  features  of  their  government,  to  a 
party  dependent  largely  on  what  they  might  chance  to  kill, 
were  their  game  laws,  which  differed  little  from  those  mentioned 
as  existing  in  other  parts  of  the  continent.  The  operation  of 
these  laws  may  be  illustrated  by  the  fact  that,  the  followers  of 
Livingstone  having  killed  an  elephant,  they  dared  not  go  so  far 
as  to  cut  it  up  until  a  messenger  had  been  sent  to  the  man  who 
had  charge  of  the  game  of  the  district.  The  delay  occasioned 
by  this  formality  rendered  the  meat  almost  useless  before  the 
hungry  party  could  get  at  it.  If  they  had  begun  cutting  it  up 
without  this  permission  they  would  have  lost  the  whole.  On 
this  occasion  certain  Banyai  hunters  chanced  to  be  present,  and 
exhibited  a  little  of  their  national  faith.  One  of  them,  wit- 
nessing the  fight  of  the  strangers  with  the  beast,  took  out  his 
snuff-box  and  emptied  the  contents  at  the  root  of  a  tree  as  an 
offering  to  the  spirits  for  success;  and  when  the  animal  fell, 
said  to  Dr.  Livingstone,  "  I  see  you  are  travelling  with  people 
who  don't  know  how  to  pray ;  I  therefore  offered  the  only  thing 
I  had  in  their  behalf  and  the  elephant  soon  fell."  They  wor- 
ship departed  spirits,  and  in  their  reverence  and  devotion  are 
an  example  to  some  whose  confidence  and  affection  are  claimed 
by  a  higher  and  worthier  Being.  Their  modest  respect  for 
their  Barimo  contrasted  strikingly  with  the  confident  and  care- 
less recognition  of  the  Supreme  Giver  of  All  by  the  men  from 
the  interior,  who  said,  "  God  gave  it  to  us."  He  said  to  the  old 
beast,  "  Go  up  there ;  men  are  come  who  will  kill  you." 

The  inhabitants  of  this  country  call  themselves  Bambari,  but 
they  are  of  the  nation  whose  general  name  is  Banyai.  The  few 
towns  and  villages  to  which  Livingstone  came  treated  him  and 
his  men  kindly.  They  are  surrounded  by  gardens  which  have 
been  reclaimed  from  the  forests  and  are  exceedingly  fertile. 
The  abundance  of  insect  life  was  truly  wonderful ;  almost  every 
plant  has  its  peculiar  insect.  The  rankest  poisons,  as  the 
kongwhane  and  euphorbia,  are  soon  devoured.  The  former  has 
a  scarlet  insect.  Even  the  fiery  birdseye  pepper,  which  will 
keep  off  many  others  from  its  own  seed,  is  itself  devoured  by  a 


260  BIRDS   OF   AFRICA. 

maggot.  There  were  seen  also  great  numbers  of  centipedes  with 
light  reddish  bodies  and  blue  legs,  and  great  myriapedes  are 
seen  crawling  everywhere.  Even  in  the  deepest  and  quietest 
parts  of  the  forest  there  is  the  distinct  hum  of  insect  joy.  The 
tiny  honey  guides  were  at  hand  volunteering  their  services,  but 
there  were  no  artificial  hives  as  in  Londa,  or  long  lines  of 
honey  bearers.  The  wax  had  not  become  an  article  of  value  as 
on  the  west  coast.  The  little  toilers  store  their  treasure  in  the 
cavities  of  trees. 

The  feathered  tribes  seemed  determined  to  vindicate  their 
characters,  and  contradict  the  assertion  that  "  birds  of  the  tropics 
are  wanting  in  the  power  of  song; "  but  to  Livingstone,  though 
they  sang  with  power,  they  seemed  "  singing  in  a  foreign 
tongue.".  "  One,"  he  says,  "  brought  the  chaffinch  to  ray  mind, 
another  the  robin ;  two  have  notes  not  unlike  those  of  the 
thrush,  while  some  resemble  the  lark."  The  best  songs,  how- 
ever, of  them  all  were  marked  by  certain  "strange,  abrupt 
notes"  unlike  anything  he  had  heard  before.  One  utters  delib- 
erately, "  Peek,  pak,  pok ; "  another  has  a  single  note  like  a 
stroke  on  a  violin  string.  Then  there  is  the  loud  cry  of  fran- 
colius,  the  "  pumpuru,  pumpuru  "  of  the  turtle-doves,  and  the 
screaming  notes  of  the  mokwa.  The  birds  of  Africa,  like  its 
people,  are  unknown  and  therefore  despised.  When  they  have 
been  sung  by  the  poets  people  Avill  praise  their  songs,  and  the 
poets  will  sing  of  them  when  they  have  heard  the  songs.  Like 
our  birds,  these  choristers  of  the  unknown  land  love  the  early 
morning  and  the  evening  with  its  balmy  breath,  or  they  are 
filled  with  joy  when,  on  a  sultry  day,  a  sudden  shower  has  re- 
freshed all  nature,  and  great,  cool  drops  hang  like  pearls  on 
every  bough  or  leaf,  glistening  in  the  rays  of  the  sun,  which 
glance  along  the  clouds  with  broken  power.  It  is  a  pleasing 
thought  that  God  has  provided  the  darkest  wildernesses  of  earth 
with  melodies  in  praise  of  his  goodness,  and  it  may  be  that  we 
should  consider  the  presence  of  God's  choir  as  a  prophecy  of  his 
coming.  It  may  be  that  the  voice  of  song  which  wraps  the 
world  like  praise  is  to  be  the  canopy  of  God's  dominion.  It 
may  be  that  the  birds  of  Africa,  songful  and  free,  hint  of  the 
time  when  all  her  sable  sons  may  shout  in  the  v/ondcrful  eman- 
cipation which  shall  attend  the  reign  of  Clirist  Jesus  the  Lord. 


GEOLOGICAL   FEATURES.  2G1 

The  ever-provident  squirrel  was  observed  arranging  his  nest 
and  storing  his  supplies  in  the  cavities  of  the  trees;  more,  how- 
ever, against  the  long  hot  seasons  than  against  the  winter,  as 
with  us.  There  were  great  numbers  of  silicified  trees  lying 
about  over  the  ground ;  in  one  place  there  was  discovered  a 
piece  of  palm  transformed  into  oxide  of  iron,  with  the  pores 
filled  with  pure  silica.  These  fossil  trees  lie  upon  soft  gray 
sandstone,  containing  banks  of  shingle,  which  forms  the  under- 
lying rock  of  the  country.  The  way  led  across  the  hills  Vun- 
gue  or  Mvungwe,  which  were  found  to  be  composed  of  various 
eruptive  rocks ;  at  one  part  we  have  breccia  of  altered  marl  or 
slate  in  quartz,  and  various  amygdaloids.  The  different  forms 
which  silica  was  found  to  assume  were  truly  remarkable.  It 
appeared  in  claystone  porphyry  here,  in  minute  round  globules, 
no  larger  than  turnip-seed,  dotted  thickly  over  the  matrix;  or 
crystallized  round  the  walls  of  cavities,  once  filled  with  air  or 
other  elastic  fluid ;  or  it  may  appear  in  similar  cavities  as  tufts 
of  yellow  asbestos,  or  as  red,  yellow,  or  green  crystals,  or  in 
lamina)  so  arranged  as  to  appear  like  fossil  wood.  Vungue 
forms  the  watershed  between  those  sand  rivulets  which  run  to 
the  northeast,  and  otiiers  which  flow  southward,  as  the  Kapopo, 
Ue,  and  Due,  which  run  into  the  Luia. 

The  ground  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Kapopo  and  the  Ue 
was  covered  with  rounded  shingle,  which,  bping  hidden  by  the 
grass,  greatly  aggravated  the  miseries  of  the  pedestrian  march. 
The  difficulty  was  increased,  too,  by  the  network  of  vines  which 
hedged  the  paths  on  every  side  and  spread  almost  impassable 
snares  across  it.  There  were  among  these  vines,  however,  great 
numbers  bearing  wild  grapes,  some  of  which  were  so  delicate 
that  they  resembled  greatly  the  cultivated  varieties ;  these  are 
eagerly  appropriated  by  the  natives,  and  the  Portuguese  have 
found  out  the  value  of  some  of  the  varieties  for  making  vinegar. 
Indeed,  the  invitation  seems  to  be  extended  quite  encouragingly 
to  those  interested  in  grape  culture  to  think  of  Africa.  Another 
species  of  fruit  which  was  found  to  be  really  "delicious"  is 
known  as  the  mokoronga.  Its  abundance  does  not  diminish  its 
popularity.  The  natives  speak  of  it  as  "all  fat,"  which  they 
mean  shall  convey  the  impression  of  excellence.  Though  these 
plums  are  but  little  larger  than  a  cherry  they  are  greatly  relished 


262  THE  KORWE   AND   HER  NEST. 

by  the  elephant,  and  they  may  be  seen  standing  picking  them 
off  patiently  by  the  hour. 

The  bow  and  arrow  have  been  ineffectual  weapons  against 
the  multitudes  of  animals  which  make  their  home  in  this  coun- 
try. Buffaloes  and  antelopes  were  found  in  abundance ;  lions 
and  hyenas  also  are  remarkably  numerous.  Possibly  the  super- 
stition of  the  people  has  something  to  do  with  the  numbers  and 
audacity  of  the  former,  for  the  people,  believing  that  the  souls 
of  their  chiefs  enter  into  them,  never  attempt  to  kill  them ;  they 
even  believe  that  a  chief  may  metamorphose  himself  into  a  lion, 
kill  any  one  he  chooses,  and  then  return  to  the  human  form ; 
therefore,  when  they  see  one,  they  commence  clapping  their 
hands,  which  is  the  usual  mode  of  salutation  here.  The  conse- 
quence is,  that  lions  and  hyenas  are  so  abundant  that  little  huts 
are  seen  made  in  the  trees,  indicating  the  places  where  some  of 
tlie  inhabitants  have  slept  when  benighted  in  the  fields. 

The  courage  or  indifference  with  which  Livingstone's  men 
wandered  about  in  search  of  honey  and  birds'  nests  quite  aston- 
ished the  natives.  In  these  forays  it  was  quite  common  for 
them  to  find  the  nests  of  the  korwe.  This  is  a  very  remarkable 
bird  whose  nests  are  found  in  the  cavities  of  the  mopane  trees. 
When  the  female  enters  her  nest,  she  submits  to  a  real  confine- 
ment. The  male  plasters  up  the  entrance,  leaving  only  a 
narrow  slit  by  which  to  feed  his  mate,  and  which  exactly  suits 
the  form  of  his  beak.  The  female  makes  a  nest  of  her  own 
feathers,  lays  her  eggs,  hatches  them,  and  remains  with  the 
young  till  they  are  fully  fledged.  During  all  this  time,  w^hich 
is  stated  to  be  two  or  three  months,  the  male  continues  to  feed 
her  and  the  young  family.  The  prisoner  generally  becomes 
quite  fat,  and  is  esteemed  a  very  dainty  morsel  by  tlie  natives, 
while  the  poor  slave  of  a  husband  gets  so  lean  that,  on  the  sud- 
den lowering  of  the  temperature  which  sometimes  liappens  after 
a  fall  of  rain,  he  is  benumbed,  falls  down,  and  dies.  The 
korwe  generally  leads  her  young  forth  about  the  time  when  corn 
is  ripe,  and  they  are  fully  clothed  and  fledged  for  their  first 
appearance  on  the  stage  of  life.  The  devotion  Avhich  the  parent 
birds  manifest  for  each  other  is  very  beautiful ;  but  when  a  dis- 
consolate husband  is  found  feeding  another  wife  at  the  same 
nest  from  which  his  former  partner  was  taken  by  voracious  men 


AFRICAN   PROrER  NAMES.  263 

only  four  or  five  weeks  before,  his  love  becomes  strongly  like  a 
sarcastic  imitation  of  his  human  enemies,  who  are  hardly  more 
permanently  disconsolate. 

The  party  came  to  Monina's  village  (close  to  the  sand-river 
Tangwe,  latitude  10°  13'  38"  south,  longitude  32°  32'  east). 
This  man  was  very  })opular  among  the  tribes  on  account  of  his 
liberality.  Boroma,  Nyampungo,  Monina,  Jira,  Katolosa 
(Monomotapa),  and  Susa,  all  acknowledge  the  supremacy  of  one 
called  Xyatcwe,  who  is  reported  to  decide  all  disputes  respecting 
land.  This  confederation  is  exactly  similar  to  what  we  observed 
in  Londa  and  other  parts  of  Africa.  Katolosa  is  "  the  Emperor 
Monomotapa"  of  history,  but  he  is  a  chief  of  no  great  power, 
and  acknowledges  the  supremacy  of  Nyatewe.  The  Portuguese 
formerly  honored  Monomotapa  with  a  guard  to  lire  off  numbers 
of  guns  on  the  occasion  of  any  funeral,  and  he  was  also  partially 
subsidized.  The  only  evidence  of  greatness  possessed  by  his 
successor  is  his  having  about  a  hundred  wives.  When  he  dies 
a  disputed  succession  and  much  fighting  are  expected.  In  re- 
ference to  the  terra  Monomotapa,  it  is  to  be  remembered  that 
Mono,  Moene,  Mona,  Mana,  or  Morena,  mean  simply  chief,  and 
considerable  confusion  has  arisen  from  naming  different  people 
by  making  a  plural  of  the  chief's  name.  The  names  Mono- 
moizes,  spelled  also  Monemuiges  and  Monomuizes,  and  Mono- 
motapistas,  when  applied  to  these  tribes,  are  exactly  the  same  as 
if  M'e  should  call  the  Scotch  the  Lord  Douglases.  Motape 
was  the  chief  of  the  Bambiri,  a  tribe  of  the  Banyai,  and  is  now 
represented  in  the  person  of  Katolosa.  He  was  probablv  a  man 
of  greater  energy  than  his  successor,  yet  only  an  insignificant 
chief.  Monomoizes  was  formed  from  Moiza  or  Muiza,  the  sin- 
gular of  the  word  Babisa  or  Aiza,  the  proper  name  of  a  large 
tribe  to  the  north.  In  the  transformation  of  this  name  the  same 
error  has  been  committed  as  in  the  others ;  and  mistakes  have 
occurred  in  many  other  names  by  inattention  to  the  meaning, 
and  predilection  for  the  letter  r.  The  river  Loangwa,  for  in- 
stance, has  been  termed  Arroangoa,  and  the  Luenya  the  Ruanha. 
The  Bazizulu,  or  Mashona,  are  spoken  of  as  the  Morururus. 

The  government  of  the  Banyai  is  rather  peculiar,  being  a 
sort  of  feudal  republicanism.  The  chief  is  elected,  and  they 
choose  the  son  of  the  deceased  chief's  sister  in  preference  to  his 


264  THE   CHOICE   OF   A   CHIEF. 

own  oifspriug.  When  dissatisfied  with  one  candidate,  they 
even  go  to  a  distant  tribe  for  a  successor,  who  is  usually  of  the 
family  of  the  late  chief,  a  brother,  or  a  sister's  son,  but  never 
his  own  son  or  daughter.  When  first  spoken  to  on  the  subject, 
he  answers  as  if  he  thought  himself  unequal  to  the  task  and  un- 
worthy of  the  honor ;  but,  having  accepted-  it,  all  the  wives, 
goods,  and  children  of  his  predecessor  belong  to  him,  and  he 
takes  care  to  keep  them  in  a  dependent  position.  When  any  one 
of  them  becomes  tired  of  this  state  of  vassalage  and  sets  up  his 
own  village,  it  is  not  unusual  for  the  elected  chief  to  send  a 
number  of  the  young  men,  who  congregate  about  himself  to 
visit  him.  If  he  does  not  receive  them  with  the  usual  amount 
of  clapping  of  hands  and  humility,  they,  in  obedience  to  orders, 
at  once  burn  his  village.  The  children  of  the  chief  have  fev/er 
privileges  than  common  free  men.  They  may  not  be  sold,  but, 
rather  than  choose  any  one  of  them  for  a  chief  at  any  future 
time,  the  free  men  would  prefer  to  elect  one  of  themselves,  who 
bore  only  a  very  distant  relationship  to  the  family.  These  free 
men  are  a  distinct  class  who  can  never  be  sold ;  and  under  them 
there  is  a  class  of  slaves  whose  appearance  as  well  as  position  is 
very  degraded.  Monina  had  a  great  number  of  young  men 
about  him  from  twelve  to  fifteen  years  of  age.  These  were  all 
sons  of  free  men,  and  bands  of  young  men  like  them  in  the 
different  districts  leave  their  parents  about  the  age  of  puberty, 
and  live  with  such  men  as  Monina  for  the  sake  of  instruction. 
When  asked  the  nature  of  the  instruction,  one  is  told  "  Bonyai," 
which  may  be  understood  as  indicating  manhood,  for  it  sounds 
as  if  we  sliould  say,  "to  teach  an  American  Americanism,"  or 
"  an  Englishman  to  bo  English."  While  here  they  are  kept  in 
subjecition  to  rather  stringent  regulations.  They  must  salute 
carefully  by  clapping  their  hands  on  a{)proaching  a  superior,  and 
when  any  cooked  food  is  brought  the  young  men  may  not  ap- 
proach the  dish,  but  an  elder  divides  a  portion  to  each.  They 
remain  unmarried  until  a  fresh  set  of  youths  is  ready  to  occuj^y 
their  place  under  the  same  instruction.  The  parents  send  ser- 
vants with  their  sons  to  cultivate  gardens  to  supply  them  with 
food,  and  also  tusks  to  INIonina  to  purchase  clothing  for  them. 
When  the  lads  return  to  the  village  of  their  parents,  a  case  is 
submitted  to  them  for  adjudication,  and  if  they  speak  well  on 
the  point  the  parents  are  highly  gratified. 


A  eight's  experience.  265 

]\Ionina  did  not  seem  as  generously  incliued  as  Nyampungo 
had  been,  and  intimated  at  the  first  interview  that  he  was  dis- 
satisfied with  tlie  excuses  given  for  not  presenting  something 
valuable.  The  demonstrations  were  decidedly  indicative  of"  an 
attack.  Livingstone  had  reason  to  believe,  however,  that  the 
chief  was  personally  more  inclined  to  favor  him,  and  was  urgal 
to  these  demonstrations  by  his  counsellors,  who  had  the  hope  of 
frightening  the  stranger  into  some  payment  which  they  felt  cer- 
tain he  was  able  to  make.  The  war  dance,  though,  lofl  little 
hope  of  anything  but  a  fight,  and  Livingstone's  party  lay  down 
on  their  arms,  watching  silently,  and  only  allowed  themselves  to 
sleep  when  it  was  certain  that  a  night  assault  was  abandoned. 
During  that  night  of  anxiety  an  unexpected  sorrow  fell  on  the 
party.  Monahin,  who  had  commanded  the  Batoka  of  Mokwine, 
arose  in  the  night,  and  looking  toward  the  smouldering  fires 
about  which  the  people  of  Monina  had  been  dancing,  was  heard 
to  say,  "  Listen,  don't  you  hear  what  they  are  saying ;  they  are 
going  to  kill  Monahin,"  and  then  turning  about  he  walked  away 
into  the  forests  and  could  not  be  found.  This  brings  to  notice 
again  the  peculiar  temporary  derangement  which  is  quite  fre- 
quently met  with  in  the  tribes  of  Africa.  It  seems  generally 
to  be  the  result  of  some  uncommon  strain  on  the  mind.  Mo- 
nahin was  suspected  by  these  Batoka  whom  he  commanded  as 
being  the  murderer  of  INIokwine ;  they  would  say,  "  Mokwine  is 
reported  to  have  been  killed  by  the  Makololo,  but  Monahin  is 
the  individual  who  put  forth  his  hand  and  slew  him."  It  is 
worthy  of  note  that  while  these  people  have  no  sort  of  compunc- 
tions about  killinoj  in  battle,  concernino;  one  who  kills  a  man  of 
any  standing,  in  a  foray  undertaken  on  his  own  account,  the 
common  people  continue  ever  after  to  indulge  in  remarks,  which 
are  brought  to  him  in  various  ways,  until  the  iteration  on  his 
conscience  produces  insanity. 

There  was  hardly  the  slightest  hope  of  finding  the  poor  fellow 
in  a  country  so  infested  with  ravenous  beasts,  but  Dr.  Living- 
stone spent  three  whole  days  in  the  search  before  he  could  find 
heart  to  go  on.  The  affliction,  too,  seemed  to  affect  the  heart  of 
Monina ;  he  aided  in  everyway  in  his  power;  he  seemed  anxious 
least  he  might  be  suspected  of  having  stolen  the  missing  man, 
and  assured  Dr.  Livingstone  most  positively,  saying,  "  We  never 


266  THE   WITCH-DOCTOR. 

catch  or  kidnap  people  here ;  it  is  not  our  custom ;  it  is  considered 
a  guilt  among  all  the  tribes." 

As  the  party  left  Mouina's  village,  a  witch-doctor,  who  had 
been  sent  for,  arrived,  and  all  Monina's  wives  went  forth  into 
the  fields  that  morning  fasting.  There  they  would  be  compelled 
to  drink  an  infusion  of  a  plant  named  "  goho,"  which  is  used 
as  an  ordeal.  This  ceremony  is  called  "  muavi,"  and  is  per- 
formed in  this  way :  When  a  man  suspects  that  any  of  his  wives 
has  bewitched  him,  he  sends  for  the  witch-doctor,  and  all  the 
wives  go  forth  into  the  field,  and  remain  fasting  till  that  person 
has  made  an  infusion  of  the  plant.  They  all  drink  it,  each 
one  holding  up  her  hand  to  heaven  in  attestation  of  her  inno- 
cence. Those  who  vomit  it  are  considered  innocent,  while  those 
whom  it  purges  are  pronounced  guilty,  and  put  to  death  by 
burning.  The  innocent  return  to  their  homes,  and  slaughter  a 
cock  as  a  thank-offering  to  their  guardian  spirits.  The  practice 
of  ordeal  is  common  among  all  the  negro  nations  north  of  the 
Zambesi.  This  summary  procedure  excited  Dr.  Livingstone's 
surprise,  for  his  intercourse  with  the  natives  here  had  led  him 
to  believe  that  the  women  were  held  in  so  much  estimation  that 
the  men  would  not  dare  to  get  rid  of  them  thus.  But  the  ex- 
planation he  received  was  this  :  The  slightest  imputation  makes 
them  eagerly  desire  the  test ;  they  are  conscious  of  being  inno- 
cent, and  have  the  fullest  faith  in  the  muavi  detecting  the  guilty 
alone ;  hence  they  go  willingly,  and  even  eagerly,  to  drink  it. 

The  women  are  honored  with  peculiar  deference  by  the  tribes 
in  this  section ;  they  are  appealed  to  by  their  husbands  to  decide 
important  and  trivial  questions;  for  example,  at  the  town  of 
Nyakoba,  there  was  a  guide  appointed  to  attend  Livingstone ; 
he  bargained  that  his  services  should  be  rewarded  with  a  hoe  ; 
the  hoe  was  delivered  to  him  in  advance,  and  he  went  with  de- 
light to  show  it  to  his  wife,  but  when  he  returned  informed  the 
Doctor  that  his  wife  would  not  allow  him  to  go.  "  Well,"  said 
Livingstone,  "  bring  back  the  hoe."  "  But  I  want  it. "  "  Then 
go  with  us."  "  But  my  wife  won't  let  me."  And  when  Living- 
stone said  to  his  men,  "  Did  you  ever  hear  such  a  fool  ?  "  they 
replied,  "Oh,  that  is  the  custom  in  these  parts;  the  wives  rule." 
It  may  be  comforting  to  some  of  the  humbler  lords  of  crcjitiou 
to  reflect  on   this   incident,  and  it  may  encourage  the  strong- 


"woman's  rights."  267 

niiuJed  women  who  are  clamorous  for  promotion  to  the  dignity 
of  masters  to  know  that  their  dark  sisters  are  in  hearty  sym- 
pathy with  them.  It  may  be  suggestive  also  to  mention  the 
method  by  which  this  supremacy  is  maintained.  And  let  it  not 
be  imagined  for  a  moment  that  they  are  so  artless  as  to  parade 
their  ambition  in  the  matter,  or  that  they  are  so  unwise  as  to 
assert  an  authority,  which  may  be  maintained  by  gentler  means, 
with  force.  There,  as  most  commonly  in  civilized  communities, 
the  power  lies  in  the  feoiinine  charms,  and  in  the  joy  or  pain  of 
a  smile  bestowed  or  withholden.  Sekwebu  witnessed  the  scene 
of  the  incident  mentioned  above,  and  heard  the  man  say  to  his 
wife,  in  the  midst  of  their  endearments,  "  Do  you  think  that  I 
would  ever  leave  you?"  and  then  turning  to  himself  ask,  "Do  you 
think  I  would  leave  this  pretty  woman  ?  is  she  not  pretty  ? " 
Indeed  the  potency  of  beauty  is  no  more  confined  to  our  boastful 
society  than  is  the  song  of  the  birds  confined  to  our  cultured 
groves. 

It  is  not  only  true  that  woman  exerts  a  manifest  influence 
among  the  tribes  of  the  Banyai,  it  is  also  true  that  the  customs 
of  social  life  recognize  her  dignity  very  decidedly.  Wives  are 
not  obtained  by  purchase  as  in  most  parts  of  southern  Africa. 
The  fortunate  groom  cannot  assume  any  authority  over  his  new- 
found bride;  he  must  go  to  the  home  of  her  parents  and  live 
there,  and  the  mothers-in-law  of  Africa  are  not  more  careful  for 
the  happiness  of  this  class  tlian  are  those  of  other  nations ;  the 
poor  fellow  has,  therefore,  sometimes  at  least,  need  of  very  patient 
love,  and  if  he  has  spirit  enough  to  resist,  he  may  go  alone  as  he 
came,  or  indemnify  the  family  for  the  loss  of  his  wife  and  chil- 
dren. The  husband,  though,  does  not  seem  to  consider  the  de- 
ference which  he  pays  his  wife  a  hard  service,  but  renders  it  with 
manifest  pride  and  pleasure.  It  is  a  pitiful  excess  of  selfishness 
and  self-conceit  which  makes  a  man  count  it  a  degradation  to 
confess  his  respect  for  the  judgment  or  pleasure  of  the  woman 
who  commits  her  life  to  his  keeping  and  consecrates  her  love 
and  labor  to  his  happiness ;  and  it  is  beautiful  promise  of  loftiest 
possibilities  of  refinement  that,  in  the  midst  of  so  much  ignorance 
and  depravity,  there  should  be  in  Africa  ever  so  little  respect 
for  woman. 

But  these  gentle  and  obedient  husbandsj  though  they  win  our 


268 


THE   EHINOCEROS. 


respect  by  the  exhibition  of  milder  and  more  amiable  tempers, 
are  not  the  equals  of  the  ruder  tribes,  in  the  sort  of  courage  which 
distinguishes  men  in  the  face  of  the  ferocious  beasts  which  com- 
mand the  forest  paths  and  the  deep  jungles  of  Africa ;  they  could 
not  begin  to  cope  with  the  interior  tribes  in  the  more  dangerous 
sports  which  involve  the  slaying  of  the  lion  or  the  rhinoceros. 
Indeed  in  all  Africa  there  is  no  animal  which  presents  a  bolder 
front  than  this  latter.  There  are  several  species  of  the  rhinoc- 
eros mentioned  by  different  writers ;  they  seem,  however,  easily 
included  in  the  two  prominent  classes  distinguished  by  their 
colors  ;  the  black  is  the  more  dangerous  both  on  account  of  its 
superior  strength  and  a  peculiarly  morose  disposition.  An  ex- 
perienced hunter  asserts  that  he  would  rather  face  fifty  lions 
than  one  of  these  animals  in  an  exposed  situation.  The  sight 
of  the  rhinoceros  is  imperfect,  and  this  alone  furnishes  about  the 
only  hope  of  escape  which  is  open  to  a  man  who  is  singled  out 
for  his  rage.  Of  enormous  bulk  and  amazing  strength,  and 
armed  with  a  horn  "  sharp  as  a  razor,"  he  is  an  enemy  to  be 
treated  with  most  serious  consideration. 

Mr.  Andersson,  whose  adventure  with  a  lion  has  been  men- 
tioned, and  a  rather  reckless  hunter,  came  quite  suddenly  upon 
one  of  these  monsters  which  had  been  wounded,  and  thinking 
to  make  her  change  her  position  so  as  to  offer  a  better  opening 
for  his  aim,  ventured  to  cast  a  stone  at  her.  Instantly  she  rushed 
upon  him  with  dreadful  fury,  snorting  horribly,  and  tearing  the 
ground  with  her  feet,  while  her  expanded  nostrils  seemed  smok- 
ing with  rage;  he  had  no  time  to  note  the  effect  of  his  hasty  shot 
before  he  was  dashed  to  the  ground,  and  his  gun,  cap,  powder 
flask  and  ball  pouch  were  spinning  away  through  the  air  with 
the  violence  of  the  blow.  The  tremendous  momentum  carried 
the  beast  stumbling  some  distance  beyond  him,  but  before  he 
could  fully  regain  his  feet  she  had  turned  upon  him  and  dashed 
him  to  the  ground  a  second  time,  tearing  his  thigh  open  with  her 
sharp  horn,  and  trampled  him  desperately  in  the  dust.  She 
then  seemed  to  lose  him,  and  as  he  crawled  away  to  the  shelter 
of  a  neighboring  tree  he  saw  her  some  distance  off  tearing  the 
bushes,  as  if  in  unappeasable  rage. 

Not  only  man,  but  the  most  ferocious  beasts  shrink  from  an 
engagement  with  the  rhinoceros ;  even  the  lordly  elephant  mani- 


^WP, 


TRIALS   AND   ENCOURAGEMENT.  271 

fests  unqualified  fear  in  his  presence.  Sometimes  two  or  more 
of  these  terrible  creatures  are  known  to  engage  in  awful  combats 
with  .each  other ;  it  is  then  a  scene  indeed  for  the  gladiatorial 
ring;  the  earth  trembles  under  their  tramp,  and  the  horrible 
snorting  and  puffing  sends  a  thrill  of  terror  through  all  the 
beasts  of  the  forest.  The  white  species  was  quite  extinct  along 
the  eastern  division  of  the  Zambesi.  It  falls  an  easier  victim 
of  the  hunter,  land  the  native  arrows  and  strategy  together  would 
be  a  serious  hindrance  to  its  increase,  but  since  these  have  been 
supplemented  by  the  powder  and  ball  of  civilized  warfare  they 
are  fast  disappearing,  even  in  the  more  southern  country  where 
they  have  been  most  numerous. 

After  leaving  Monina  it  was  important  for  the  travellers  to 
avoid  the  villages,  as  the  people  nearer  the  Portuguese  settle- 
ment exhibited  the,  natural  enough,  disposition  to  tax  them, 
while  in  fact  they  were  poorly  able  to  pay  anything.  Living- 
stone's heart  was  bounding  with  eager  anticipation  of  a  welcome 
at  Tete,  which  was  only  a  few  days'  travel  in  advance  of  him. 
He  had  not  suffered  so  seriously  as  on  the  journey  to  Loanda, 
but  he  had  endured  many  hardships.  Much  of  the  distance 
from  the  falls  had  been  performed  on  foot ;  for  many  days  he 
had  walked  altogether ;  he  had  become  so  thin  that  his  men 
could  any  of  them  pick  him  up  like  a  child  and  carry  him 
across  the  streams ;  still  he  had  not  lost  his  spirit,  nor  had  his 
interest  in  the  well-being  of  his  followers  and  the  condition  of 
the  tribes  along  his  route  failed  in  the  least.  He  lay  down  on 
the  evening  of  the  2d  of  March  eight  miles  from  Tete,  and  sent 
forward  the  letters  of  introduction  which  had  been  given  him 
by  the  Portuguese  authorities  at  Loanda  to  the  commandant. 
It  was  nearly  two  years  since  he  parted  with  the  generous 
Englishman  who  alone  supports  the  dignity  of  the  name  in  the 
western  colony.  During  those  two  years  he  had  traversed  all 
the  intervening  wilderness,  with  only  the  companionship  of  the 
ignorant  and  superstitious  and  depraved  savages,  and  he  was 
now  dragging  the  line  of  his  explorations  to  the  eastern  coast. 
And  though  the  town  of  Tete  was  several  hundred  miles  from 
the  sea,  he  felt  that  his  success  would  be  complete  when  he 
arrived  there,  because  it  was  the  border  town  of  the  Portuguese, 
and  he  would  from  thence  be  in  the  care  of  white  men  and 


272  THE  traveller's  retrospect. 

friends.  He  was  so  fatigued  that  he  could  not  sleep,  and  his 
mind  naturally  wandered  back  over  the  long  and  tedious  jour- 
ney, with  its  strange  and  wonderful  scenery,  its  wild  associates, 
and  its  wealth  of  singular  incidents.  There  were  the  lofty 
pillars  of  Pungo  Andongo  towering  grandly  on  the  other  bor- 
der like  the  monuments  of  old  forgotten  Titanic  heroes.  There 
was  the  wonderful  valley  of  the  Quango,  a  hundred  miles  wide, 
with  its  walls  a  thousand  feet  high.  Then  came  in  freshly  on 
his  mind  the  weariness  and  anxiety  of  sickness  and  detentions 
and  petty  strifes.  The  western  water-shed  next  absorbed  his 
thought;  the  floating  along  the  Leeba  and  the  Leeambye,  and 
the  "  welcome  home "  so  cordially  extended  by  the  Makololo. 
Then  the  months  of  loving  labor  in  the  word  of  Christ,  and  the 
eager  watching  for  the  slightest  evidences  of  good  accomplished. 
Sometimes  he  seemed  to  be  wandering  again  in  the  strange 
labyrinth  of  rivers  which  flow  about  through  the  remarkable 
fissures  of  the  great  interior  country  so  unnaturally.  In  the 
midst  of  these  the  wild  and  grand  and  lovely  falls  of  the  Zam- 
besi burst  anew  on  his  delighted  vision.  The  splendid  hills 
and  lofty  ranges,  with  their  beautiful  valleys  and  teeming  herds 
and  stories  of  war  and  wrong,  succeed  in  turn.  Then  the  gorge 
of  the  Kafue.  And  the  Zambesi  again,  a  thousand  yards  wide. 
Amid  all  these  scenes,  the  dark,  untaught,  uncared-for  human 
inhabitants  were  seen  dragging  about  the  fetters  of  their  super- 
stitions; unconsciously,  indeed,  but  wearily.  He  seemed  to 
hear  their  childish  laughter  ringing  out  in  the  midst  of  wicked 
sports,  or  their  mournful  cries  of  sorrow  on  account  of  the 
shadow  of  death.  It  was  no  wonder ;  he  had  heard  them  so 
often.  The  sigh  for  peace,  for  quiet,  sweet  rest :  that  was 
clearer  in  his  thoughts  than  all  else.  Then  ardent  hope  Avas 
busy  establishing  mission  stations  all  over  the  land,  and  his 
prayer  of  faith  would  almost  become  thanksgiving  as  he  imag- 
ined the  redemption  of  Africa,  and  seemed  to  gaze  on  its  lovely 
valleys  and  mountain  ranges,  all  clothed  with  the  evidences  of  a 
Christian  civilization,  and  seemed  to  hear  the  songs  of  ^praise 
floating  out  of  the  renewed  heart  of  the  continent  so  many  ages 
lost  in  darkness  and  sin  ;  floating  along  the  rivers,  until  the  sea 
was  burdened  with  words  of  love  and  gratitude  from  Africa  to 
the  worldj  and  all   its  murmurings  were  changed  to  shouts  of 


THE    MIDNIGHT    VISITORS.  275 

praise.  Oh,  how  fascinating  and  how  praisefiil  is  the  retrospect 
of  years  nobly  spent  in  the  service  of  Christ  for  the  help  of 
man !  There  is  nothing  grander  in  human  life  than  the  delib- 
erate consecration  of  intelligence  and  refinement  to  the  real 
service  of  the  degraded  and  indifferent.  We  cannot  find  a 
grander  specimen  of  philanthropy  than  lies  before  us  in  the 
lonely,  weary,  perilous  but  willing  isolation  of  the  devoted  man 
who  was  waiting  in  pain  and  hunger  for  the  dawning  of  the 
day,  and  loved  tlie  scenes  of  a  life  of  pain  and  hunger  which 
crowded  about  him  and  spread  a  canoj)y  of  memory  over  him 
for  a  tent. 

The  stars  were  on  duty  still,  shining  like  the  camp  fires  of 
heaven's  protecting  army,  and  the  heavy  breathing  of  the  dusky 
company  had  been  undisturbed.  It  was  just  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning  when  messengers  arrived  who  had  been  sent  forward 
with  welcome  and  a  civilized  breakfast  from  Tete. 

No  man  could  more  fully  appreciate  such  attentions  than  Dr. 
Livingstone.  He  seemed  unconscious  of  the  weight  of  obliga- 
tion which  his  life  of  self-sacrifice  was  bringing  the  world 
under.  He  was  only  laboring  in  the  love  of  men  and  zeal  for 
Christ,  and  he  thought  of  no  reward.  No  man  was  more  sensi- 
ble to  the  helpful  influences  of  sympathy ;  his  heart  bounded  at 
the  words  of  cheer  which  were  brought  him.  The  presence  of 
persons  who  could  in  any  sort  understand  him  and  sympathize 
with  him  was  like  the  communication  of  new  life;  his  fatigue 
vanished,  and  he  walked  the  remaining  eight  miles  freshly  and 
joyfully.  There  is  wonderful  power  in  sympathy  ;  loving  words 
are  a  medicine  for  the  soul  better  than  all  things — the  specific 
for  all  the  anxieties  of  the  mind. 

The  reception  at  Tete  was  as  cordial  as  could  be.  The  com- 
mandant— Tito  Augusto  d'Aranjo  Sicard — proved  himself  a 
liberal  and  attentive  host.  The  Portuguese  authorities  had 
been  informed  by  the  friends  of  Dr.  Livingstone  in  England  of 
his  being  on  his  way  across  the  continent,  and  his  expected 
arrival  in  their  midst ;  but  as  there  had  been  a  sort  of  Caffre 
war  going  on  for  two  years,  they  had  lost  all  hope  of  his  ever 
reaching  their  settlements  alive.  Quite  lately,  though.  Major 
Sicard's  expectations  had  been  awakened  by  the  arrival  at  Tete 
of  natives  who  spread  the  rumor  that  the  "son  of  God  was 


276  RECEPTION   AT  TETE. 

approaching,  and  that  he  was  able  to  take  the  sun  down  and 
put  it  under  his  arm ! "  The  major  was  convinced  that  the 
story  was  founded  on  the  approach  of  some  explorer,  whom,  he 
was  convinced  also,  could  be  no  other  than  the  man  Avho  had 
already  accomplished  the  wonderful  journey  from  the  Cape  to 
Loanda. 

On  the  day  of  his  arrival  in  Tete  Dr.  Livingstone  was  "  vis- 
ited by  all  the  gentlemen  of  the  village,  both  white  and  colored, 
including  the  padre."  Not  one  of  them  had  any  idea  of  where 
the  source  of  the  Zambesi  lay.  They  sent  for  the  best-travelled 
natives,  but  not  one  of  them  knew  the  river,  even  as  far  as 
Kansala  rapids,  which  may  be  seen  indicated  on  the  map,  not 
more  than  thirty  or  forty  miles  above  the  confluence  of  the 
Kafue,  and  but  little  more  than  half  way  to  the  "Victoria 
Falls."  One  man,  who  had  bepn  a  great  traveller  in  the  south- 
western country,  had  heard  of  Livingstone's  discovery  of  Lake 
Ngami,  but  he  was  entirely  ignorant  that  the  great  river  flowing 
by  the  town  where  he  lived  came  from  the  interior  of  the  con- 
tinent. Livingstone  had  the  reward  of  his  self-sacrifice  in  the 
certainty  that  he  had  not  been  idly  employed,  but  that  in  those 
years  of  wandering  he  had  performed  a  service  which  centuries 
to  come  would  be  still  conferring  its  blessings  on  the  world. 
He  had  been  able  to  correct  the  errors  of  philosophy  and  preju- 
dice, and  bring  to  waiting  Christendom  the  assurance  that  in 
Africa  there  was  a  field  ready  for  the  sower,  and  that  this  broad 
river,  about  whose  delta  civilization  had  been  standing  in  doubt- 
ful inefficiency  for  centuries,  furnished  the  guiding  cord  to  the 
heart  of  the  continent. 


CHAPTER    XII. 

THE   PORTUGUESE   POSSESSIONS. 

The  Village  of  Tete— Inhabitants— Gold  Washings— Slave  Trade,  Evil  Effects  of 
— Decadence  of  Portuguese  Power— Superstitions  of  Tete — English  Calico — 
Articles  of  Export— Gold — Coal— Value  of  Gold  Dust— Appearance  of  Country 
— Method  of  Cultivating  the  Soil  —  Agriculture  Neglected — Hot  Springs — 
People  Favorable  to  Englishmen— Cause  of  Portuguese  Failure — Leaves  Tete 
— Nyaude's  Stockade — The  Gorge  of  Lupata — Senna — The  Landeens  or  Zulus 
— Misery  of  Senna — Surrounding  Country — The  Shire — Kilimaiie^Living- 
««tone's  Object — His  Theory  of  Mission  Work — His  Hopes  for  Africa — Arrival 
ef  the  "  Frolic" — Disposition  of  Ivory — Parts  with  his  Followers — Sekwebu — 
In  the  Boats — On  Board  the  Ship— Insanity  and  Death  of  Sekwebu — Arrival 
at  Mauritius — Dear  Old  England — Forbidden  Scenes— Public  Honors — The 
Single  Desire. 

The  delight  which  Dr.  Livingstone  experienced  in  being 
once  more  in  communication  with  people  who  could  in  some 
sort  appreciate  him  was  fully  justified  by  the  persevering  kind- 
ness of  Major  Sicard.  There  was  no  attention  withholdcn 
which  could  contribute  to  the  comfort  and  enjoyment  of  the 
great  explorer  who  had  traversed  the  whole  breadth  of  the  con- 
tinent. 

It  was  the  unhealthy  season  at  Kilimane,  and  the  generous 
host  insisted  on  detaining  his  guest  at  least  a  month,  until  he 
might  hope  to  go  down  to  the  coast  safely ;  and  having  secured 
employment  for  his  followers,  he  claimed  Dr.  Livingstone  for 
his  personal  charge.  The  village  itself  possessed  no  special 
charms ;  it  stands  on  a  succession  of  low  sandstone  ridges  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  Zambesi,  which  is  here  nearly  a  thousand 
yards  wide  (960  yards).  Shallow  ravines,  running  parallel  with 
the  river,  form  the  streets,  the  houses  being  built  on  the  ridges. 
The  whole  surface  of  the  streets,  except  narrow  footpaths,  Avere 
overrun  with  self-sown  indigo,  and  tons  of  it  might  have  been 
collected.  In  fact,  indigo,  senna  and  stramonium,  with  a 
species  of  cassia,  form  the  weeds  of  the  place,  which  are  annually 
hoed  off  and  burned.     A  wall  of  stone  and  mud  surrounds  the 


14 


277 


278  AGRICULTURE   AND   GOLD. 

village,  and  the  native  population  live  in  huts  outside.  The 
fort  and  the  church,  near  the  river,  are  the  strongholds;  the 
natives  having  a  salutary  dread  of  the  guns  of  the  one,  and  a 
superstitious  fear  of  the  unknown  power  of  the  other.  The 
number  of  white  inhabitants  is  small,  and  rather  select,  many  of 
them  having  been  considerately  sent  out  of  Portugal  "  for  their 
country's  good."  The  military  element  preponderates  in 
society ;  the  convict  and  "  incorrigible  "  class  of  soldiers,  receiv- 
ing very  little  pay,  depend  in  great  measure  on  the  produce  of 
the  gardens  of  their  black  wives ;  the  moral  condition  of  the  re- 
sulting population  may  be  imagined.  Even  the  officers  seldom 
receive  their  pay  from  government;  but,  being  of  an  enterprising 
spirit,  they  contrive  to  support  themselves  by  marrying  the 
daughters  or  widows  of  wealthy  merchants,  and  trade  in  ivory 
by  means  of  the  slaves  of  whom  they  thus  become  the  masters. 
In  former  times,  considerable  quantities  of  grain,  as  wheat, 
millet  and  maize,  were  exported ;  also  coffee,  sugar,  oil,  and 
indigo,  besides  gold  dust  and  ivory.  The  cultivation  of  grain 
was  carried  on  by  means  of  slavas,  of  whom  the  Portuguese 
possessed  a  large  number.  The  gold  dust  was  procured  by 
washing  at  various  points  on  the  north,  south  and  west  of  Tete. 
A  merchant  took  all  his  slaves  with  him  to  the  washings,  carry- 
ing as  much  calico  and  other  goods  as  he  could  muster.  On 
arriving  at  the  washing  place,  he  made  a  present  to  the  chief  of 
the  value  of  about  a  pound  sterling.  The  slaves  were  then 
divided  into  parties,  each  headed  by  a  confidential  servant,  who 
not  only  had  the  supervision  of  his  squad  while  the  washing 
went  on,  but  bought  dust  from  the  inhabitants,  and  made  a 
weekly  return  to  his  master.  When  several  masters  united  at 
one  spot,  it  was  called  a  "  Bara,"  and  they  then  erected  a  tem- 
porary church,  in  which  a  priest  from  one  of  the  missions  per- 
formed mass.  Both  chiefs  and  people  were  favorable  to  these 
visits,  because  the  traders  purchased  grain  for  the  sustenance  of 
the  slaves  with  the  goods  they  had  brought.  They  continued 
at  this  labor  until  the  whole  of  the  goods  were  expended,  and 
by  this  means  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  pounds  of  gold  were 
annually  produced.  Probably  more  than  this  was  actually 
obtained,  but,  as  it  was  an  article  easily  secreted,  this  alone  was 
submitted  to  the  authorities  for  taxation.     At  present  the  whole 


EFFECTS   OF   SLAVE   TRADE.  279 

amount  of  gold  obtained  annually  by  the  Portuguese  is  from 
eight  to  ten  pounds  only.  When  the  slave  trade  began,  it 
seemed  to  many  of  the  merchants  a  more  speedy  mode  of  becom- 
ing rich  to  sell  oif  the  slaves  than  to  pursue  the  slow  mode  of 
gold  washing  and  agriculture,  and  they  continued  to  export 
them  until  they  had  neither  hands  to  labor  nor  to  fight  for 
them.  It  was  just  the  story  of  the  goose  and  the  golden  egg. 
The  coffee  and  sugar  plantations  and  gold  washings  were  aban- 
doned, because  the  lalwr  had  been  exported  to  the  Brazils. 
Many  of  the  Portuguese  then  followed  their  slaves,  and  the 
government  was  obliged  to  pass  a  law  to  prevent  further  emi- 
gration, which,  had  it  gone  on,  would  have  depopulated  the 
Portuguese  possessions  altogether.  As  it  was,  the  remaining 
representatives  of  Portugal  were  little  better  than  none,  so  far 
as  asserting  any  authority  was  concerned.  The  late  war,  which 
only  terminatetl  a  few  months  before  Livingstone  arrived  from 
the  interior,  had  demonstrated  how  unable  they  were  to  cope 
with  the  tribes  about  them  in  case  of  revolt.  Kasika  on  the 
north  had  plundered  and  burned  all  the  plantations  of  the 
wealthy  merchants  on  that  side  of  the  river,  and  Nyaude,  who 
had  placed  his  stockade  just  below  the  village,  at  the  confluence 
of  the  Luenya,  had  completely  blockaded  it  during  two  years, 
so  that  they  had  been  compelled  to  send  overland  to  Kilimane 
for  goods  enough  to  buy  food  with. 

The  priests  at  Tete  had  no  more  power  than  the  captains ; 
the  church  did  not  amount  to  any  more  than  the  fort.  The 
natives  were  careful  to  keep  out  of  the  range  of  the  guns  from 
the  fort,  but  acknowledged  their  authority  no  further.  So  they 
kept  out  of  the  church,  but  cared  nothing  for  the  religion.  The 
Portuguese  do  not  seem  to  have  concerned  themselves  about  the 
religious  beliefs  of  their  wild  associates.  Indeed,  they  were 
rather  inclined  to  make  capital  of  the  superstitions  which  they 
should  have  sought  to  overcome.  Certainly  their  metropolis 
might  also  be  regarded  as  the  metropolis  of  heathen  absurdi- 
ties. Being  made  up  of  the  representatives  of  various  tribes, 
it  was  also  a  focus  of  superstitions.  They  believe  that  many  evil 
spirits  live  in  the  air,  the  earth,  and  the  M'ater.  These  invisible 
malicious  beings  are  thought  to  inflict  much  suffering  on  tiie 
human  race;  but,  as  they  have  a  weakness  for  beer  and  a  crav- 


280  CALICO   CURRE>'CY. 

ing  for  food,  they  may  bo  propitiated  from  time  to  time  by  offer- 
ings of  meat  aud  drink.  Tlie  serpent  is  an  object  of  worsiiip, 
and  hideous  little  images  are  hung  in  the  huts  of  the  sick  aud 
dying.  The  uncontaminated  Africans  believe  that  Morungo, 
the  Great  Spirit  who  formed  all  things,  lives  above  the  stars ; 
but  they  never  pray  to  him,  and  know  nothing  of  their  relation 
to  him,  or  of  his  interest  in  them.  The  spirits  of  their  de- 
parted ancestors  are  all  good,  according  to  their  ideas,  and  ou 
special  occasions  aid  them  in  their  enterprises.  When  a  mian 
has  his  hair  cut,  he  is  careful  to  burn  it,  or  bury  it  secretly,  lest, 
falling  into  the  hand  of  one  who  has  an  evil  eye,  or  is  a  witch, 
it  should  be  used  as  a  charm  to  afilict  him  with  the  headache. 
They  believe,  also,  that  they  shall  live  after  the  death  of  the 
body,  but  have  no  distinct  ideas  of  the  condition  of  the  departed 
spirits. 

The  principal  currency  of  the  country  was  English  calico, 
which  was  received  by  the  natives  in  exchange  for  any  and 
everything  which  they  had  for  sale.  Labor,  grain,  land,  gold, 
everything  has  its  price  in  calico,  and  the  cheapness  of  labor 
particularly  would  almost  turn  the  head  of  one  of  our  employ- 
ers, whose  life  is  worried  almost  out  of  him  by  the  system  of 
strikes  which  is  the  order  of  the  day.  Two  yards  of  uubleache<l 
calico  is  the  price  of  a  day's  labor,  or  sixteen  yards  will  hire  a 
man  a  month.  Provision  is  equally  cheap.  In  ordinary  times 
two  yards  of  calico  will  buy  twenty-four  fowls,  and  a  hundred 
pounds  of  flour  bring  the  same  price. 

The  chief  articles  of  export  at  the  time  of  Dr.  Livingstone's 
visit,  in  1856,  were  ivory  and  gold  dust,  and  these  not  in  very 
considerable  quantities.  The  gold  seems  to  have  been  the 
temptation  which  first  drew  the  Portuguese  to  the  Zambesi ;  but 
it  is  questionable  whether  they  ever  realized  anything  like  their 
hopes  in  the  quantities  of  the  jirecious  metal  which  they  ob- 
tained. There  are,  however,  quite  a  number  of  washings  in  the 
country,  and  it  is  probable  that  the  world  will  yet  find  them 
very  lucrative.  Dr.  Livingstone  had  the  opportunity  of  exam- 
ining the  gold  dust  from  different  parts  to  the  east  and  northeast 
of  Tete. 

Round  toward  the  westward,  the  old  Portuguese  indicate  a 
station  which  was  near  to  Zumbo  on  the  River  Panyame,  and 


THE  GOLD   FIELDS.  281 

called  Dambararl,  near  which  much  gold  was  found.  Farther 
west  lay  the  now  unknown  kingdom  of  Abutua,  which  was  for- 
merly famous  for  the  metal;  and  then,  round  toward  the  east, 
are  the  gold  washings  of  the  Mashona,  or  Bazizulu,  and,  farther 
east,  that  of  Manica,  where  gold  is  found  much  more  abundantly 
than  in  any  other  part,  and  which  has  been  supposed  by  some 
to  be  the  Ophir  of  King  Solomon.  Gold  from  this  quarter 
was  seen  as  large  as  grains  of  wheat,  that  found  in  the  rivers 
which  run  into  the  coal  field  being  in  very  minute  scales.  If 
on^  leg  of  the  compass  be  placed  at  Tete,  and  the  other  ex- 
tended three  and  a  half  degrees,  bringing  it  round  from  the 
northeast  of  Tete  by  west,  and  then  to  the  southeast,  we  nearly 
touch  or  include  all  the  known  gold-producing  country.  As 
tlie  gold  on  this 'circumference  is  found  in  coarser  grains  than  in 
the  streams  running  toward  the  centre,  or  Tete,  Liv^ingstone 
imagined  that  the  real  gold  field  lies  round  about  the  coal  field  ; 
and,  if  he  was  right  in  the  conjecture,  then  we  have  coal  en- 
circled by  a  gold  field,  and  abundance  of  wood,  water,  and  pro- 
visions— a  combination  not  often  met  with  in  the  world. 

Dr.  Livingstone  had  noticed  some  specimens  of  coal  before 
reaching  Tete,  but  he  there  found  that  there  were  nine  different 
seams  known  to  the  Portuguese,  all  within  the  circle  of  gold 
which  we  have  described.  The  coal  had,  of  course,  received 
very  little  attention,  and  the  gold  was  almost  as  much  ne- 
glected. The  natives  are  not  so  fond  of  labor  or  of  gold  as  to 
go  through'  the  tedious  process  by  which  the  precious  dust  is 
obtained,  and  they  only  wash  a  little  now  and  then  when  they 
stand  in  need  of  calico.  They  had  learned  the  value  of  the 
treasure,  though,  and  were  very  careful  of  it;  they  take  it  for 
sale  in  goose  quills,  and  demand  twenty-four  yards  of  calico 
for  a  single  penful. 

In  general  appearance  the  country  M'here  these  treasures 
abound  is  highly  picturesque;  the  hills  are  clothed  with  stately 
forests,  and  the  lovely  valleys  threaded  by  numerous  streams 
are  very  fertile,  and,  according  to  the  standards  of  the  country, 
are  well  cultivated.  The  only  farming  implement  here,  how- 
ever, as  in  other  parts  of  Africa,  is  the  hoe ;  the  work  is  done 
chiefly  by  the  women,  too,  as  elsewhere.  After  the  grain  is  once 
in  the  ground,  a  single  weeding  is  all  that  is  required.     This 


282  HOT  SPRINGS   NEAR  TETE. 

simple  process  represents  all  our  subsoil  plowing,  liming,  manur- 
'ino-,  and  harrowing,  for  in  four  months  after  planting  a  good 
crop  is  ready  for  the  sickle,  and  has  been  known  to  yield  a 
hundred-fold.  No  irrigation  is  required,  because  here  there  are 
gentle  rains,  almost  like  mist,  in  winter,  which  go  by  the  name 
of  "  wheat-showers,"  and  are  unknown  in  the  interior,  where  no 
winter  rain  ever  falls. 

The  plantations  of  coffee,  which  were  a  source  of  very  con- 
siderable revenue  previous  to  the  opening  of  the  slave  trade, 
Jiad  been  abandoned,  and  hardly  a  tree  could  be  found.  In- 
digo and  senna,  which  were  mentioned  as  growing  in  the  streets 
of  Tote,  are  found  growing  everywhere,  but  are  allowed  to  decay, 
crop  after  crop  uncared  for. 

But  we  must  not  fail  to  mention  the  existence  of  a  number 
of  hot  springs  which  are  to  be  found  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Tete.  Dr.  Livingstone  visited  one  called  Nyamboronda,  situated 
in  the  bed  of  a  small  stream  named  Nyaondo  ;  the  little  spring 
bubbles  up  just  beside  the  rivulet,  and  a  great  quantity  of  acrid 
steam  was  seen  rising  up  from  the  ground  adjacent,  about 
twelve  feet  square  of  which  was  so  hot  that  men  could  not 
stand  on  it  with  bare  feet.  There  were  several  little  holes  from 
which  the  water  was  trickling,  but  the  principal  spring  was  in 
a  hole  about  a  foot  in  diameter  and  as  much  in  depth;  bubbles 
Avere  rising  constantly ;  the  thermometer  being  a  few  seconds 
in  the  water  the  mercury  stood  steadily  at  160°.  A  frog  which 
tried  the  experiment  of  a  bath  was  taken  out  in  a  few  minutes 
well  cooked.  The  stones  over  which  the  waters  of  this  spring 
flowed  were  found  to  be  incrusted  with  white  salt,  and  the  water 
had  a  saline  taste ;  about  the  spring  were  rocks,  syenitic,  por- 
phyry, in  broad  dikes,  and  gneiss  tilted  on  edge ;  there  were 
also  many  specimens  of  half-formed  pumice,  with  green-stone 
and  lava. 

Indeed  it  was  with  ever-increasing  interest  and  astonishment 
that  the  traveller  wandered  over  this  wonderful  region  so  richly 
endowed  and  so  sadly  neglected.  He  was  satisfied  from  his  own 
experience  with  the  Africans  that  a  wise  policy  would  find  the 
people  no  obstacle  to  the  opening  of  the  singular  treasuries 
which  God  had  put  just  near  enough  to  the  coast  to  be  easily 
found  by  the  vanguard  of  civilization,  and  far  enough  toward 


STARTS   FOR   KILIMANE,  283 

the  heart  of  the  continent  to  insure  the  benighted  inliabitants 
the  helpful  influence  of  the  enlightened  strangers  who  might 
come  after  the  wealth. 

It  was  evident  to  him  that  those  whose  failure  was  inscribed 
everywhere  had  only  failed  because  they  were  not  true  to  the 
obligations  which  they  ought  to  have  recognized ;  if  they  did 
not,  the  manifestly  selfish  policy  could  no  more  expect  the  favor 
of  the  savages  than  the  blessing  of  God.  He  would  not  judge 
the  Portuguese  or  the  priests  unkindly,  but  he  was  satisfied  that 
neither  captains  nor  priests  could  point  to  a  satisfactory  experi- 
ment in  the  country  around  Tete.  And  the  ruins  of  forts  and 
churches  told  the  same  story  of  the  folly  of  the  strangers  rather 
than  the  ho[)eless  barbarism  of  the  natives. 

When  at  last  the  time  came  in  which  it  was  thought  prudent 
for  Dr.  Livingstone  to  go  down  to  Kilimane,  he  found  the 
generous  commandant  as  thoughtful  for  his  comfort  on  the 
journey  as  he  had  been  assiduous  in  the  attentions  bestowed  in 
his  home.  There  was  abundant  provision  made  for  a  safe  and 
pleasant  sail  down  the  noble  river,  and  orders  were  issued  that 
the  traveller  should  be  at  no  expense  for  supplies.  Full  c^f 
gratitude  to  God  and  men,  Livingstone  entered  the  large  strongly- 
built  canoe  which  had  been  provided  for  him,  and  sat  down  ur.4- 
der  the  pleasant  canopy  which  had  been  thoughtfully  supplie<l, 
and  was  pulled  away  from  Tete  on  the  22d  of  April,  1856.  He 
had  not  forgotten  his  trusty  followers ;  only  sixteen  of  them 
attended  him  to  the  sea,  but  he  had  made  arrangements  for  them 
at  Tete,  by  which  he  was  confident  that  they  would  be  com- 
fortable until  his  return,  if  indeed  God  should  spare  him  to 
continue  his  work  in  Africa. 

Just  below  the  village,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  he 
passed  the  ruins  of  the  residences  of  the  wealthy  merchants,  who 
had  been  so  recently  the  victims  of  Kisaka's  groundless  rage. 
At  the  confluence  of  the  Luenya  he  had  a  view  of  Nyaude's 
fortress,  which  had  proven  so  formidable  in  the  recent  wars. 
It  is  only  a  strong  stockade ;  it  seemed,  however,  to  be  con- 
structed of  living  trees,  and  could  hardly  be  burned.  It  was 
strange  to  see  a  stockade  menacing  the  whole  commerce  of  the 
river  in  a  situation  where  the  guns  of  a  vessel  would  have  full 
play  on  it,  but  it  is  a  formidable  affair  for  those  who  have  only 


284  THE  GORGE  OF   LUPATA. 

muskets.  On  one  ocx^asion,  when  Nyaude  was  attacked  by 
Kisaka,  they  fought  for  weeks  ;  and  though  Nyaude  was  reduced 
to  cutting  up  his  copper  anklets  for  balls,  his  enemies  were  not 
able  to  enter. 

The  gorge  of  Lupata  was  a  point  of  considerable  interest,  and 
Dr.  Livingstone  spent  the  night  of  the  24th  on  a  small  island 
near  its  entrance  that  he  might  ascertain  its  latitude,  which  he 
found  to  be  16°  34'  46''  south.  At  this  point  the  Zambesi 
converges  quite  suddenly,  and  flows  through  a  gorge  in  a  lofty 
range  of  hills  which  crosses  it  at  right  angles  ;  on  the  western 
side  the  rock  rises  abruptly  six  or  seven  hundred  feet,  but  on 
the  east  the  range  is  sloping  and  covered  with  treas.  The  river 
in  the  gorge  is  about  two  hundred  yards  wide,  and  dashes  quite 
impetuously  along  its  tortuous  channel,  and  sweeps  rapidly 
around  the  little  rocky  promontories,  Chifura  and  Kangoraba, 
f'.irming  dangerous  whirlpools  and  eddies,  and  widens  again  to 
ifiiles  in  breadth,  embracing  many  beautiful  islands  which  were 
(i/ice  the  homes  of  prosperous  planters  and  yielded  vast  quanti- 
ties of  grain. 

The  gorge,  as  might  be  expected,  has  been  fixed  on  by  the 
natives  as  the  abode  of  jieculiarly  turbulent  deities,  who  are  sup- 
posed to  preside  over  the  perilous  places,  for  the  good  or  the 
injury  of  those  who  attempt  to  pass.  But  whether  there  are 
spirits  good  or  bad,  certain  it  is  that  the  narrow  pass  is  occupied 
by  one  direful  scourge :  the  tsetse  waits  there  for  its  victims. 
Elephants  also  and  buffaloes  frequent  the  spot.  The  country 
on  either  side  of  the  river  was  in  anything  but  a  peaceful  state ; 
the  southern  shore  had  been  ravaged  recently  by  the  Caffres, 
here  called  Laudeens  or  Zulus,  and  Kisaka,  who  had  no  love 
for  the  Portuguese,  was  ravaging  all  the  Maganga  country  on 
the  other  side. 

On  the  27th  the  party  reached  Senna,  which  was  found  to  be 
in  a  condition  ten  times  more  lamentable  than  Tete ;  every 
building  in  the  village  was  in  absolute  ruin.  The  Laudeens 
were  in  the  habit  of  visiting  the  village  periodically  and  levying 
fines  on  the  inhabitant«i,  as  they  considered  the  Portuguese  a 
conquered  tribe,  and  the  half-castes,  who  in  all  the  Portuguese 
possessions  constitute  an  important  class,  seemed  to  be  in  league 
with  them. 


ANT    BEAR 


CHIFURA   AND   KANGOMBA 


SENNA   AND  SURROUNDINGS.  287 

While  Dr.  Livingstone  was  there  a  party  of  Kisaka's  people 
were  ravaging  the  fine  country  on  the  opposite  shore.  They 
came  down  with  the  prisoners  they  had  captured,  and  forthwith 
tlie  half-castes  of  Senna  went  over  to  buy  slaves.  Encouraged 
by  this,  Kisaka's  people  came  over  into  Senna  fully  armed  and 
beating  their  drums,  and  were  received  into  the  house  of  a  native 
Portuguese.  They  had  the  village  at  their  mercy,  yet  could 
have  been  driven  off  by  half  a  dozen  policemen.  The  com- 
mandant could  only  look  on  with  bitter  sorrow.  He  had  soldiers, 
it  is  true,  but  it  was  notorious  that  the  native  militia  of  both 
Senna  and  Kilimane  never  think  of  standing  to  fight,  but  in- 
variably run  away  and  leave  their  officers  to  be  killed. 

The  miserable  state  of  this  neglected  post  beggars  description; 
the  officers  were  none  of  them  paid  by  the  home  government 
and  are  forced  to  engage  in  trade.  The  common  soldiers  had 
now  and  then  received  a  little  calico.  It  is  lamentable  that  the 
door  to  one  of  the  finest  regions  of  the  world  should  have  fallen 
into  the  hands  of  a  people  who  have  done  nothing  more  than 
hold  it  against  the  rest  of  the  world  for  centuries.  If  instead 
of  military  establishments  there  had  been  civil  ones,  and  emi- 
grants with  their  wives  and  plows  and  seeds,  rather  than  mili- 
tary convicts  with  bugles  and  kettle-drums,  eastern  Africa  might 
be  to-day  the  rival  of  any  spot  on  earth  in  all  that  makes  a 
pleasant  home  on  earth. 

The  country  around  Senna  was  more  interesting  than  the 
village ;  nature  was  uncontaminated  and  afforded  a  pleasing  re- 
lief for  the  thoughts.  In  the  village  the  most  gratifying  sight 
of  all  was  the  negroes  of  Senhor  Isidore  building  boats  after  the 
European  model.  These  negroes  had  been  instructed  in  their 
work  by  a  European  master,  and  had  acquired  such  skill  that 
they  could  go  into  the  forest  and  get  out  the  timber,  lay  the 
keel,  fit  in  the  ribs,  and  finish  up  very  neat  boats  which  would 
bring  from  X20  to  £100  apiece.  This  little  show  of  life  was 
refreshing,  in  the  midst  of  so  much  misery  and  ruin ;  for  cer- 
tainly slavery  and  immorality  had  done  their  work  in  Senna. 
The  European  name  wa.s  almost  despised.  The  native  wives  of 
tlie  white  men  were  little  better  than  slaves,  and  their  children 
received  none  of  the  honorable  regard  which  is  granted  them  in 
Aijgola.     Dr.  Livingstone  saw  a  son  of  the  former  governor  of 


288  ARRIVAL   AT   KILIMANE, 

Tete  a  slave.  In  Senna  there  is  neither  priest  nor  school ;  there 
are  the  ruins  of  churches  and  convents,  but  such  ruins  are  a 
solemn  mockery  of  the  ignorance  and  sin  whose  blight  rests  on 
everything. 

It  was  the  11th  of  May  before  Dr.  Livingstone  continued  his 
journey.  Forty  miles  below  Senna  he  passed  the  confluence  of 
the  Shire,  which  we  shall  have  occasion  to  mention  hereafter. 
Below  the  Shire  the  hilly  surroundings  gave  place  to  extensive 
flats.  There  was  no  incident  of  special  importance  until  Mazaro 
was  reached.  At  that  point  the  delta  begins.  The  Zambesi 
had  nowhere  appeared  more  splendid,  and  the  temptation  was 
very  strong  to  follow  it  down  to  the  sea;  but  Livingstone  knew 
that  it  had  been  explored  that  far  up  by  another  in  whose  state- 
ments he  had  confidence,  and  he  therefore  felt  that  it  was  better 
for  him  to  follow  the  other  branch,  although  it  was  necessary  to 
leave  the  boats  and  canoes.  A  sudden  fever  had  set  in,  as  if 
determined  to  give  him  a  farewell  embrace.  With  throbbing 
veins  and  aching  temples  he  toiled  on  afoot  along  the  banks  of 
the  Mutu.  The  fever  continued  raging,  and  the  large  sailing 
launch  which  was  put  at  his  service  by  Senor  Asevedo,  at  lu- 
terra,  was  felt  to  be  truly  a  godsend.  The  village  of  Kilimane 
was  reached  on  the  20th  of  May,  1856,  and  Dr.  Livingstone 
was  received  most  cordially  into  the  home  of  Colonel  Galdino 
Jose  Nunes,  "  one  of  the  best  men  in  the  country." 

It  had  been  sixteen  years  since  the  missionary  first  landed  at 
the  Cape.  He  had  spent  nine  of  ten  years  in  patient  work, 
teaching  and  dispensing  the  gospel  of  Christ.  Then  providence 
had  unsettled  him  and  he  could  find  no  rest  for  his  foot.  Six 
years  he  had  spent  exploring  the  unknown  wilds.  He  had 
done  the  work  of  an  explorer  under  the  inspiration  of  the  gos- 
pel. "  As  far  as  I  am  myself  concernal,"  says  he,  ''the  opening 
of  the  new  central  country  is  a  matter  for  congratulation  only 
in  so  far  as  it  opens  up  a  prospect  for  the  elevation  of  the  inhab- 
itants. As  I  have  elsewhere  remarked,  I  view  the  end  of  the 
geographical  feat  as  the  beginning  of  the  missionary  enterprise. 
I  take  the  latter  term  in  its  most  extended  signification,  and 
include  every  effort  made  for  the  amelioration  of  our  race,  the 
promotion  of  all  those  means  by  which  God  in  his  providence 
is  working,  and  bringing  all  his  dealings  with  man  to  a  glorious 


LI\aNGSTONE's  THEORY.  289 

consummation.  Each  man  in  his  sphere,  either  knowingly  or 
unwittingly,  is  performing  the  will  of  onr  Father  in  heaven. 
Men  of  science,  searching  after  hidden  truths,  which,  when  dis- 
covered, will,  like  the  electric  telegraph,  bind  men  more  closely 
together — soldiers  battling  for  the  right  against  tyranny — 
sailors  rescuing  the  victims  of  oppression  from  the  grasp  of 
heartless  men-stealers — merchants  teaching  the  nations  lessons 
of  mutual  dependence — and  many  others,  as  well  as  mission- 
aries, all  work  in  the  same  direction,  and  all  efforts  are  over- 
ruled for  one  glorious  end." 

His  experience  at  Kolobeng  had  taught  him  that  the  most 
permanent  results  of  missionary  labor  could  be  realized  only  by 
bringing  the  people  into  such  relations  with  other  nations  that 
a  natural  business  interest  would  be  felt  in  their  improvement. 
He  felt  that  to  encourage  Africans  to  cultivate  their  soil  and 
gather  their  treasures  for  an  honest  market  among  Christian 
nations  would  most  effectually  open  the  way  for  the  gospel.  It 
Was  his  idea  to  have  the  missions  of  Africa  enjoy  the  protection 
and  fostering  care  of  nations  which  might  feel  themselves  in 
some  sort  interested  materially  in  the  elevation  of  the  tribes. 
In  the  hope  of  this  he  had  traversed  the  country  from  the  Cape 
to  Loanda,  and  from  Loanda  across  to  the  mouth  of  the  Zam- 
besi, and  had  brought  out  assurances  of  inexhaustible  resources, 
in  the  fertility  of  soil,  the  wealth  of  timber,  an  amazing  amount 
of  animal  life,  with  birds,  fowls,  fishes,  etc. ;  the  profusion  of 
fruits,  iron,  coal,  gold ;  and  all  in  the  midst  of  people  through 
whose  villages  he  had  passed  unharmed ;  who  were  weary  of 
their  own  unsettled  condition  and  eager  for  the  intercourse  of 
the  white  man.  He  had  suffered  severely  in  body,  and  had 
made  sacrifice  of  his  fondest  affections ;  but  he  was  rewarded  by 
the  hope  that  his  labor  would  be  effectual  in  engaging  the  atten- 
tion of  mankind  for  Africa.  'Tis  beautiful  to  find  this  noble 
man,  forgetful  of  his  sorrows  and  toils,  recounting  so  happily 
the  kindnesses  he  had  received.  He  was  a  man  on  whom  the 
smallest  attention  was  not  lost.  His  humility  and  his  independ- 
ence both  forbade  his  making  demands  of  his  fellow-men,  and 
all  that  they  did  for  him  was  accounted  kindness  and  received 
with  gratitude.  In  all  his  discoveries  he  did  not  fail  to  note 
the  discovery  of  "  a  vast  number  of  good  people  in  the  world." 


290  DEPARTURE   ON  THE   "FROLIC." 

And  his  heart  was  full  of  devout  thanks  to  the  Gracious  One 
who  had  watched  over  him  in  every  position,  and  influenced 
hearts  of  both  black  and  white  to  regard  him  with  favor. 

It  must  have  seemed  a  long  six  weeks  that  he  was  waiting  at 
Ivilimane.  But  at  length  the  "  Frolic "  arrived,  bringing 
abundant  supplies  for  him  and  ,£150  to  pay  his  passage  to 
England.  The  eight  of  his  followers  who  had  been  allowed  to 
accompany  their  "  father  "  to  the  coast  were  eager  to  follow  him 
still.  The  order  of  Sekeletu  to  them  was  that  none  of  them 
should  turn  back  until  they  had  reached  "  Ma  Robert."  The 
simple  resolution  of  these  men,  accustomed  to  absolute  obe- 
dience, could  hardly  submit  to  the  difficulty  of  crossing  the  sea. 
They  only  knew  that  wherever  their  "  father  "  might  lead  they 
were  to  follow.  But  Livingstone  prevailed  on  them  to  go  back 
t^  Tete,  where  food  was  more  abundant,  and  await  his  return 
to  them.  He  was  constrained,  however,  to  allow  the  Sekwebu 
to  accompany  him.  This  man  had  been  of  great  service,  and  it 
^^.•^s  hoped  that  it  would  be  beneficial  to  him  to  be  brought  in 
contact  with  thorough  civilization.  And  being  a  man  of  re- 
markable intelligence,  it  could  hardly  fail  to  be  of  great  service 
to  have  him  return  filled  with  respect  and  love  for  the  English 
and  aspirations  for  a  nobler  life ;  but  how  sadly  the  hopes  of  the 
missionary  were  disappointed  shall  be  seen. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Sekeletu  had  committed  large 
quantities  of  ivory  to  Dr,  Livingstone,  and  commissioned  him 
to  procure  a  few  articles.  A  man  less  sincerely  interested  in 
the  heathen,  or  less  conscientious,  might  have  acted  differently. 
This  man  was  too  anxious  that  no  hurtful  impressions  should 
be  made  on  the  minds  of  the  people — whose  salvation  he  sought, 
and  not  their  substance — to  take  the  slightest  advantage  of  his 
position ;  and  although  the  larger  portion  of  the  ivory  was  a 
gift  to  himself,  he  stored  it  all  at  Kilimanc,  that  he  might  not 
be  thought  to  have  made  off  with  Sekcletu's  property,  and  deter- 
mined to  purchase  the  articles  he  had  ordered  with  his  own 
means,  if  he  should  return  as  he  expected. 

They  left  Kilimane  on  the  morning  of  July  12th.  The  sea 
was  in  a  rage,  and  the  little  boats  were  tossed  like  straws  on  the 
mighty  waves.  One  moment  they  were  trembling  on  some 
lofty  crest,  then  rushing  down  the  eloj^e  the  next  moment,  they 


HOME   AT   LAST.  291 

would  seem  to  strike  the  very  bottom  of  the  sea,  while  the  wild 
breakers  swept  over  them,  making  even  the  stout  hearts  of  old 
seamen  tremble.  The  experience  of  the  sea  was  new  to  Sek- 
webu,  and  he  looked  at  his  friend  and  inquired  anxiously,  "  Is 
this  the  way  you  go  ?  is  this  the  way  you  go  ?  "  The  smile  of 
liivingstone  encouraged  him  and  quieted  his  fears.  At  the 
ship's  side  the  landsmen  had  to  be  lifted  in  as  ladies  usually 
are.  But  once  on  board  they  were  at  home.  The  hearty 
English  welcome  filled  the  soul  of  Dr.  Livingstone  with  inex- 
pressible gladness.  But  he  had  almost  lost  command  of  his 
native  tongue.  Sekwebu  became  a  great  favorite  with  all  on 
board.  But  the  poor  fellow  was  perplexed ;  there  was  too  great 
a  strain  on  his  untutored  mind.  When  he  had  picked  up  a 
little  English,  he  would  frequently  say  to  his  "  father  "  :  "  Your 
countrymen  are  very  agreeable ;  but  what  a  strange  country  is 
this — all  water  together !  "  Before  they  reached  Mauritius  the 
faithful  man  became  insane  and  cast  himself  into  the  sea,  and 
could  never  be  found  afterward.  After  a  delay  of  two  months 
at  Mauritius  for  the  recovery  of  his  health,  Livingstone  reached 
the  shores  of  his  "  dear  old  England "  on  the  1 2th  of  De- 
cember. 

AYho  shall  follow  him  and  violate  with  curious  gaze  the 
sacredness  of  the  joyful  meeting  with  his  wife  and  children,  and 
tell  how  fondly  he  clasped  an  aged  mother  in  his  manly  arms, 
and  how  she  thanked  God  that  her  "  boy "  was  back  again  ? 
And  who  shall  interview  the  memories  which  crowded  about 
him  as  he  walked  by  the  banks  of  the  Clyde  ? 

It  is  our  business,  though,  that  all  England  gave  him  wel- 
come ;  that  the  news  of  his  return  was  hailed  with  gratitude  by 
thousands  who  had  followed  him  with  their  prayers. 

Men  of  science,  statesmen  and  Christians,  cherishing  each 
their  different  interests,  accounted  him  their  friend  and  helper. 
The  church  and  government  and  societies  vied  with  each  other 
in  doing  him  honor.  He  was  concerned  only  that  societies  and 
government  and  church  should  love  his  work  and  lend  it  their 
support. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

AT   HOME. 

Meeting  on  January  5th — Egyptian  Hall — Splendid  Assembly— Speech  of  Lord 
Mayor— Speech  of  Bishop  of  London— Speech  of  Sir  Roderick  Murchison — 
Livingstone's  Response — Resolutions — Subscription — Travels  in  England — 
Public  Enthusiasm — Public  Meeting  in  Manchester — Resolutions  —  Public 
Meeting  at  Leeds — Addresses  and  Resolutions — Generous  Rivalry  of  Cities  and 
Institutions — Presentation  of  the  Freedom  of  London  to  Livingstone — Distin- 
guished Personages — Complimentary  Addresses — Tremendous  Applause — A 
Beautiful  Casket — Imposing  Ceremony— Book-Writing — Difficulties— Sur- 
prised by  the  Appearance  of  a  Bogus  Book — Explanation — Announcement  of 
Dr.  Livingstone's  Book — Twentieth  Thousand  in  Six  Weeks — Press  Com- 
ments— Extract  from  the  London  Leader  of  that  Date — Effect*  of  the  Book — 
Interest  in  Commercial  Prospects  of  Africa — Interest  in  Missions — Action  of 
Missionary  Societies — Invitations  to  Oxford  and  Cambridge — Grand  Assembly 
at  Cambridge — The  Reception  of  Livingstone,  According  to  Professor  Sedg- 
■«pick — Reception  of  War  Veterans — Of  Chancellors — Of  the  Queen— None 
More  Hearty  than  that  of  Livingstone. 

The  presence  of  Dr.  Livingstone  in  England  deepened  the 
interest  in  the  great  enterprise  which  had  engaged  his  heart  so 
fully,  and  in  connection  with  which  he  had  commanded  the  re- 
spect of  the  noblest  and  most  intelligent  men  of  the  land.  The 
greatest  respect  was  paid  him  in  public  and  private. 

On  the  5th  of  January  a  large  and  splendid  assembly  filled 
the  grand  Egyptian  Hall  in  the  Mansion  House,  which  had 
been  granted  by  the  Lord  Mayor  of  London  for  the  purpose  of 
])resenting  a  testimonial  to  Dr.  Livingstone  for  the  service  ren- 
dered by  him  to  commerce,  science  and  civilization,  by  his 
discoveries  in  South  Africa.  The  Lord  Mayor  presided,  and 
conspicuous  in  the  assembly  were  the  Bishop  of  London,  the 
Bishop  of  Victoria,  various  members  of  Parliament,  distinguished 
travellers  and  men  of  science.  Dr.  Livingstone  was  received 
with  great  enthusiasm.  The  Lord  Mayor  opened  the  meeting 
with  a  little  speech,  in  which  he  "  ventured  to  assert  that  the 
most  gratifying  event  connected  witli  his  mayoralty  was,  that 
the  first  meeting  in  the  hall  was  for  the  purpose  of  paying  a 
292 


RECEPTION   IN   LONDON.  293 

national  tribute  of  admiration  and  praise  to  Dr.  Livingstone, 
the  great  traveller  in  South  Africa.  His  decided  committal  of 
himself  and  the  English  people  to  the  great  work  of  African 
exploration,  and  the  uncpialified  expressions  of  sympathy  with 
the  great  and  self-sacrificing  man  whom  they  now  claimed  as 
their  guest,"  were  most  heartily  indorsed  by  the  cheers  and 
volleys  of  applause  which  hailed  almost  every  sentence,  and 
only  subsided  in  respect  for  the  distinguished  Bishop  of  London, 
who  was  next  introduced.  The  bishop  assured  the  audience 
that  he  accounted  it  a  great  privilege  to  be  permitted  to  meet 
together  in  the  greatest  metropolis  of  the  world,  to  express 
thanks  to  Divine  Providence  for  allowing  Dr.  Livingstone  to  be 
brought  back  in  safety  from  the  perils  which  he  had  undergone, 
and  the  meeting  he  trusted  would  be  permitted  to  hope,  that 
when  he  was  about  to  return  to  that  country,  where  his  heart 
was  devoted  to  the  service  of  the  Lord,  the  same  providence 
would  continue  to  protect  him.  It  was,  indeed,  most  gratifying 
to  meet  here  to  express  an  opinion  of  what  Dr.  Livingstone  had 
done.  It  was  most  gratifying  to  find  that  civilization,  the  spirit 
of  commercial  enterprise,  and  the  missionary  cause  should  go 
hand  in  hand :  in  the  person  of  Dr.  Livingstone  they  had  all 
these  three  united.  There  was  a  lesson  for  themselves  in  this 
great  man,  which  probably  those  whom  he  addressed  M'ould  not 
be  slow  to  apply :  that  they  ought  never  to  separate  common 
secular  pursuits  from  those  that  worked  the  glory  of  God.  "A 
few  years  ago  it  was  said  that  the  age  of  heroism  was  passed ; 
but  the  lie  had  been  given  to  that  by  the  brilliant  instances 
which  had  recently  occurred.  And  whilst  they  celebrated  those 
cases  at  home,  it  was  gratifying  to  find  that  in  far-distant  fields, 
uncheered  by  applause,  this  man  whom  they  met  to  honor  car- 
rial  on  his  heroic  enterprise,  deserving  and  commanding  the 
praise  of  his  countrymen  more  than  others  to  whom  they  had 
been  ready  to  award  it." 

Several  other  distinguished  gentlemen  addressed  the  audience, 
among  whom  was  that  generous  and  devoted  friend  of  Dr. 
Livingstone,  Sir  Roderick  Murchison,  the  learned  devotee  of 
geographical  science  and  president  of  the  Royal  Geographical 
Society.  Dr.  Livingstone  found  great  difficulty  in  responding 
to  these  cordial  and  congratulatory  speeches ;  his  tongue  had 


294  COMMENDATORY   RESOLUTIONS. 

been  long  accustomed  to  other  dialects ;  the  language  of  Africa 
had  become  more  familiar  than  that  of  his  mother.  He  could 
little  more  than  thank  the  assembly  for  the  honor  and  sympathy 
which  he  received,  and  promise  them  the  opportunity  of  read- 
ing at  their  leisure  accounts  of  his  wanderings  in  the  benighted 
land  which  had  excited  so  much  curiosity  and  enlisted  so  deep 
an  interest.  And  among  the  interesting  notices  of  the  meeting, 
which  may  be  found  in  the  papers  of  the  day,  were  the  following 
resolutions  offered  by  the  Bishop  of  London  and  Sir  Roderick 
Murchison,  and  most  enthusiastically  carried  : 

"  This  meeting,  consisting  of  merchants,  bankers  and  others, 
citizens  of  London,  hereby  present  Dr.  Livingstone  their  sincere 
congratulations  on  the  signal  care  and  protection  of  Divine 
Providence  vouchsafed  to  him  throughout  his  prolonged  and 
perilous  labors  in  exploring  the  interior  of  south  Africa ;  the 
meeting  cherishes  the  gratifying  assurance  that  the  important 
discoveries  of  Dr.  Livingstone  will  tend  hereafter  to  advance 
the  interests  of  civilization,  knowledge,  commerce,  freedom  and 
religion  among  the  numerous  tribes  and  nations  of  that  vast 
continent." 

The  resolution  of  Sir  Roderick  Murchison  was  characteristic 
of  the  man  whose  generosity  was  the  handmaid  of  his  greatness, 
and  whose  sense  of  justice  was  equal  to  his  learning;  he  moved: 

"This  meeting,  highly  appreciating  the  intrepidity  and  per- 
severance of  Dr.  Livingstone  in  his  extended  and  dangerous 
journeys,  deems  it  incumbent  to  originate  a  pecuniary  tribute  as 
an  expression  of  their  admiration  and  gratitude  for  his  disin- 
terested and  self-denying  labors  in  the  cause  of  science  and 
philanthropy." 

The  enthusiastic  assembly  was  only  too  eager  for  an  oppor- 
tutiity  of  expressing  an  interest  so  matei-ial  in  such  a  man  and 
such  an  enterprise,  and  their  generous  contributions  underscored 
their  words  of  love  and  cheer.  With  such  an  introduction,  it 
was  not  to  be  expected  that  a  year  in  England  could  be  a  year 
of  rest  and  retirement  for  Dr.  Livingstone.  Various  communi- 
ties desired  to  honor  him,  and  he  could  not  refuse  their  invita- 
tions, so  candid  and  complimentary,  if  he  had  not  considered 
every  such  occasion  a  golden  opportunity  for  impressing  the 
tremendous  consequences  of  African  exploration  and  evangeliza- 


MANCHESTER   MEETING.  295-' 

tion  on  the  minds  of  his  fellow-countrymen.  Thoroughly  im- 
pressed with  the  conviction  that  the  true  system  of  evangeliza- 
tion in  such  a  country  should  not  despise  the  humbler  agencies 
which  seek  only  the  narrower  aims  of  the  present  existence,  it 
was  his  constant  endeavor  to  awaken  and  deepen  the  interest  of 
his  countrymen  in  the  commercial  offerings  of  Africa.  The 
diligence  and  enthusiasm  with  which  he  was  all  the  time  striv- 
ing to  enlighten  the  people  before  whom  he  appeared  concerning 
the  agricultural  and  mineral  resources  of  the  wild  continent  is 
explained,  not  by  the  deeper  interest  which  he  felt  in  such  matters, 
but  the  eagerness  with  which  he  sought  to  bridle  the  mighty 
energies  of  human  interest  into  the  service  of  Christian  missions. 
Nor  was  he  unsuccessful ;  all  England  became  aroused ;  there 
were  meetings  in  all  quarters,  eager  to  hear  at  his  lips  accounts 
of  the  wonderful  possibilities  which  lay  concealed  in  the  forests 
which  he  had  so  heroically  penetrated  and  passed  through  from 
sea  to  sea.  The  members  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Com- 
mercial Association  and  Cotton  Supply  Association  assembled 
in  the  Town  Hall,  at  Manchester,  and  extended  him  a  most 
hearty  reception.  He  addressed  them  on  the  commercial  pro- 
ducts and  prospects  of  Africa,  calling  particular  attention  to  the 
capacity  of  the  continent  for  growing  cotton.  The  deepest  at- 
tention, and  questions  betraying  a  real  interest  in  the  matter, 
evinced  the  power  of  the  facts  which  he  stated  and  the  argu- 
ments which  he  educed  ;  and  at  the  end  of  his  address  the  fol- 
lowing motion  was  put  and  carried  : 

"That  this  meeting  desires  to  express  its  warmest  thanks  to 
Dr.  Livingstone  for  his  visit  to  Manchester;  to  record  their  ap- 
preciation of  the  importance  of  his  discoveries;  their  high  sense 
of  his  noble  exertions  for  the  extension  of  knowledge,  as  well 
as  his  self-devotion  in  again  seeking  to  visit  those  hitherto  un- 
explored countries  with  a  vidw  to  their  civilization  by  the  aids 
of  Christianity  and  commerce ;  that,  feeling  a  deep  interest  in  the 
self-denying  labors  of  Dr.  Livingstone,  this  meeting  earnestly 
requests  her  Majesty's  government  will  j)Iace  at  his  disposal  a 
steamboat  duly  appointed  and  capable  of  ascending  the  navig- 
able portion  of  the  Zambesi,  Avith  such  further  accommodation 
in  boats  and  otherwise  as  may  be  deemed  sufficient  for  the  ex- 
ploration of  its  tributaries,  and  for  obtaining  and  retaining 
IS 


296  MEETING   AT   LEEDS. 

friendly  relations  with  the  natives  of  that  interesting  region. 
And  tlie  public  bodies  now  assembled  pledge  themselves  to  use 
their  utmost  exertions  for  the  promotion  of  these  objects  ;  that 
this  meeting  desire  to  impress  on  her  Majesty's  government  their 
earnest  desire  that  the  aid  of  the  Portuguese  government  should 
be  especially  requested  towards  facilitating,  in  every  possible 
manner,  the  further  researches  of  Dr.  Ivivingstone  in  the  interior 
of  Africa,  and  more  especially  in  the  districts  surrounding  the 
river  Zambesi  and  its  tributaries ;  that  a  sub-committee  of  the 
following  gentlemen,  being  the  chairmen  of  the  public  bodies 
here  assembled,  be  empowered  and  requested  to  carry  out  the 
resolution  of  this  meeting,  with  power  to  add  to  their  number: 
Mr.  John  Cheetham,  M.  P.,  Mr.  J.  A.  Turner,  M.  P.,  and  Mr. 
Thomas  Basloy." 

Shortly  after  the  meeting  in  Manchester,  Dr.  Livingstone  was 
calletl  on  to  address  au  aggregate  meeting  of  the  Leeds,  Brad- 
ford and  Halifax  Chambers  of  Commerce,  in  the  Leeds  Stock 
Exchange.  The  meeting  received  him  with  great  respect,  and 
added  their  voice  to  the  resolutions  passed  at  Manchester.  The 
commercial  chambers  of  West  Riding  came  in  with  their  in- 
dorsement, and  called  on  the  county  members.  Lord  Viscount 
Goderich  and  Mr.  Edmund  Denison,  for  their  influence  in  sup- 
port of  the  explorer.  The  speech,  in  which  Lord  Goderich 
resj)onded  to  the  call,  was  as  cordial  and  flattering  as  could  be 
desiretl.  In  the  course  of  it,  he  said  :  "  When  we  consider  the 
vast  industries  in  England  which  are  altogether  dependent  on 
the  regular  and  extensive  supply  of  cotton,  can  we  doubt  that 
Dr.  Livingstone's  discoveries  are  of  the  greatest  political  interest 
to  the  country?  We  ought  to  have  the  means  of  drawing  our 
supplies  of  cotton  from  various  sources  ;  we  should  be  as  nearly 
independent  of  local  circumstances  as  possible,  for  these  local 
circumstances  might  aflTeot,  at  any  day,  both  the  source  and  ex- 
tent of  the  supj)ly."  But  his  lordship  would  not  be  understood 
as  advocating  the  views  of  Dr.  Livingstone  and  sustaining  his 
enterprise  solely  on  commercial  grounds:  he  entered  "most 
heartily  into  those  higher  motives  which  actuated  the  hero-mis- 
sionary in  carrying  civilization  and  Christianity  into  those  distant 
regions." 

Such  was  the  interest  which,  spreading  beyond  all  missionary 


FREEDOM   OF   LONDON.  297 

societies  and  creed  lines,  was  preparing  the  English  people  to 
adopt  as  their  honored  and  trusted  agent  the  man  who,  under 
all  circumstances,  avowed  his  absolute  consecration  to  the  con- 
version of  Africa  to  Christ,  which  was  ripening  the  request  in 
the  heart  of  the  nation  that  the  church  would  suffer  their  mis- 
sionary explorer  to  become  an  explorer  missionary.  Such  was 
the  interest  which  caused  a  hearty  rivalry  between  city  authori- 
ties and  commercial  unions  and  scientific  societies  in  bestowing 
on  this  humble,  earnest,  consecrated  man  their  highest  honors. 
Various  cities  presented  him  the  freedom  of  their  corporations. 
The  ceremony  of  this  attention  in  London  was  peculiarly  im- 
posing. "  On  the  21st  of  May,"  says  the  Illustrated  London 
Neros,  "  the  Court  of  Common  Council  presented  an  unusually 
gay  appearance  in  consequence  of  the  attendance  of  a  number 
of  ladies  to  witness  the  ceremony  of  presenting  Dr.  Livingstone 
the  ^freedom  of  the  city,'  as  a  testimonial  of  his  zeal  and  per- 
severing exertions  in  the  important  discoveries  which  he  has 
made  in  Africa.  Dr.  Livingstone  was  introduced  amid  great 
applause  by  Mr.  J.  E.  Saunders  and  Alderman  Rose,  the  mover 
and  seconder  of  the  resolution  ;  and,  after  the  declaration  of 
freedom  was  read,  was  addressed  by  Sir  John  Key,  Bart.,  the 
Chamberlain,  in  a  highly  eulogistic  speech,  in  which  were  fully 
detailed  the  difficulties  overcome,  and  the  benefits  to  science  and 
art  achieved  by  his  indomitable  zeal.  Dr.  Livingstone's  address 
in  reply  was  vehemently  cheered  ;  and,  after  receiving  the  con- 
gratulations of  the  Lord  Mayor  and  the  principal  members  of 
the  corporation,  and  of  the  lady  mayoress  and  several  ladies,  ho 
tetired  amid  great  applause." 

This  testimonial  of  the  city  government  was  presented  in  a 
beautifully-ornamented  casket,  designed  and  manufactured  by 
the  best  skill.  The  box  itself  was  of  African  oak,  with  repre- 
sentations of  miniature  palm  trees  in  frosted  silver  at  each 
corner.  On  each  of  the  four  sides  there  was  a  silver  plate.  On 
that  in  front  was  engraved  the  resolution  of  the  court;  that  at 
the  back  represented  an  African  scene,  with  the  doctor  exploring 
a  river,  and  at  the  ends  were  science  and  commerce  in  bold 
relief — science  surrounded  by  a  globe,  compass  and  telescope; 
commerce  by  coal  pits,  shafts,  etc.  The  lid  was  surmounted  by 
a  group  of  figures — an  European  holding  the  hand  of  friendship 


298  THE   VEXATIOUS   BOOK. 

to  an  African  under  a  palm  tree.  Such  a  design,  so  liighly 
characteristic,  executed  hy  the  most  exquisite  skill,  was  a  beau- 
tiful expression  of  the  appreciation  which  was  as  thoughtful  as 
it  was  ardent.  Such  an  expression  of  regard  and  appreciation 
on  the  part  of  the  highest  dignitaries  might  have  turned  the 
head  of  a  less  earnest  man ;  but  Dr.  Livingstone  was  absorbed 
in  the  great  work  to  which  he  felt  that  God  had  called  him,  and 
to  which  he  had  so  willingly  devoted  himself  Among  the 
many  engagements  which  filled  his  time,  not  the  least  important 
or  laborious  by  far  was  the  preparation  of  his  voluminous  ac- 
count of  his  sixteen  yeare  in  South  Africa.  Those  who  have 
never  undertaken  the  making  of  a  book  have  yet  to  learn  the 
A  B  C  of  sympathy  for  those  who  contribute  so  important  a 
p.art  of  our  happiness.  A  volume  of  seven  hundred  closely- 
j>rinted  pages,  made  up  largely  from  memoranda  written  yeare 
before,  in  the  midst  of  ever-changing  scenes — written,  too,  under 
the  great  disadvantage  of  having  grown  unused  to  his  native 
tongue — was  itself  abundant  occupation  for  a  rest  year.  The 
work  seemed  to  progress  very  slowly ;  several  times  the  active 
man — who  could  perform  noble  deeds  more  rapidly  than  he 
could  recount  them,  and  could  suffer  with  a  better  relish  than 
he  could  complain — was  on  the  point  of  abandoning  the  book 
that  he  might  hasten  to  the  scene  of  fresh  labors  and  new  ad- 
ventures. It  is  hardly  surprising  that  he  exhibited  rather 
unusual  annoyance  when,  very  unexpectedly  one  fine  autumn 
morning,  his  eye  read  the  ads^ertisement  of  the  "Travels  of 
David  Livingstone  in  South  Africa,"  by  an  author  unknown  to 
him,  who,  depending  only  on  newspaper  articles  and  Geographi- 
cal Society  reports,  had  come  before  the  public  with  his  work, 
while  the  real  hero  of  the  story  was  still  groaning  over  the  un- 
finished chapters  of  his  book.  The  severity  of  tlie  doctor  upon 
this  author  and  on  the  publishers  as  well  was  fearful ;  but,  like 
generous  men  that  they  were,  finding  that  the  traveller  himself 
was  preparing  an  account  of  his  own  adventures  and  discoveries, 
they  threw  away  their  labor  and  the  money  they  had  expended, 
by  suppressing  the  book  entirely,  and  the  public  appetite  was 
only  whetted  by  the  incident  for  the  real  work  of  Dr.  Living- 
stone, which  was  announced  about  the  1st  of  September,  1857, 
and  an  advertisement  in  the  November  following  mentioned  the 


EDITORIAL,  OOIIMENTS.  299 

twentieth  thousand  just  taken  from  the  press.  Seldom  had  tlw. 
reading  public  of  England  manifested  a  deeper  interest  in  a 
book  ;  an  interest,  too,  which  was  seconded  by  the  great  demand 
for  the  singularly  interesting  book  in  other  countries.  It  did 
not,  however,  escape  the  severe  criticism  which  everything 
human  must  expect,  since  there  are  so  many  people  in  the  world 
whose  single  aptitude  is  for  slaughter,  ajul  M'hose  solitary  de- 
light consists  in  viewing  the  mutilation  of  productions  which 
they  despise  because  they  are  incapable  of  appreciating  them. 
The  leading  journals  of  England  and  America  made  haste  to 
furnish  their  readers  with  very  extended  reviews,  which  were 
made  up  largely  of  lengthy  quotations  concerning  the  customs 
of  the  people  and  the  features  of  the  country  which  the  writer 
liad  so  vividly  depicted.  The  London  Leader  for  November 
24th,  in  the  midst  of  an  extended  editorial,  could  not  restrain 
its  admiration,  and  burst  forth  into  a  very  eloquent  tribute. 
"The  author,"  says  the  reviewer,  "is  an  Aladdin  wandering 
through  his  new  palace,  with  its  infinite  series  of  chambers, 
each  a  treasury.  Pie  is  a  INIarco  Polo,  recounting  the  marvels 
of  Nigritian  Carthy.  A  Muugo  Park,  coming  suddenly  upon 
unknown  lakes  and  rivers.  A  Delia  Vallc  in  the  romance  of 
his  adventures;  and  more  than  a  sixteenth  century  pilgrim  in 
the  intrepidity  of  his  enterprises." 

Public  sentiment  ripened  rapidly  after  the  publication  of  the 
book.  The  simple,  candid  and  careful  account  of  the  tribes,  the 
soil,  rivers,  animals,  trees,  plants,  climate  and  minerals,  left  no 
room  for  doubt,  and  the  foremost  men  of  the  nation  were  readv 
to  forward  with  their  means  and  influence  an  enterprise  which 
looked  to  the  complete  opening  up  of  the  wonderful  land  so 
suddenly  brought  to  view. 

Nor  was  the  Christian  community  behind  the  commercial. 
The  London  INIissionary  Society  manifested  their  conlidence  in 
the  judgment  of  Livingstone  by  arranging  for  mission  stations 
with  the  Makololo  and  the  Matebolo.  It  was  with  deep  regret, 
too,  that  they  relinquished  from  their  service  the  man  who  was 
so  peculiarly  fitted  to  head  such'  enterprises;  but  they  felt  that 
a  more  extended  field  demanded  his  services.  It  was  not  for 
hira  to  confine  his  attention  to  a  single  tribe  or  a  circumscribed 
territory.     God  seemed  to  have  laid  it  upon  him  to  be  the 


300  RECEPTION    AT   CAMBRIDGE. 

pioneer  of  his  truth  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
land.  Besides  the  action  of  the  London  Missionary  Society,  the 
Free  Church  of  Scotland  sent  out  the  Rev.  James  Stewart  to 
report  on  the  practicability  of  commencing  missionary  operations 
in  the  newly-explored  territory.  The  great  Universities  of 
Oxford  and  Cambridge  sent  for  him,  and  in  those  grand  centres 
of  learning  and  influence  he  was  glad  to  appear  with  the  avowed 
"  purpose  of  striving  to  awal^en  a  deeper  interest  in  Christian 
missions  to  the  heathen ;  and  he  spoke  with  the  authority  of  the 
greatest  of  modern  travellers  among  men,  and  in  the  places 
where  a  missionary  spirit  ought  to  prevail  pre-eminently.'' 
And  it  is  a  noble  record  of  those  ancient  and  honorable  institu- 
tions, that  in  their  reception  of  the  man  and  his  message  they 
"  proved  themselves,  as  ever  before,  ready  to  recognize  merit, 
advance  science,  encourage  philanthropy  and  promote  religion." 
"  At  Cambridge  particularly,"  says  a  contemporary,  "  the  scene 
in  the  Senate  House  was  worthy  of  the  most  graphic  painting  of 
pen  or  pencil.  There  was  a  solemn  majesty  about  it  which  all 
must  have  felt.  It  was  an  uncommon  occasion.  Cambridge 
elevation  and  culture  came  suddenly  into  contact  with  the 
mighty  questions  of  African  degradation  and  progress.  Ex- 
tremes had  met.  Africa  was  appealing  by  the  mouth  of  her 
warm-hearted  advocate  in  one  of  the  greatest  centres  of  civili- 
zation and  evangelization  in  the  world,  for  help  in  her  feeble- 
ness, light  in  her  darkness,  truth  wherewith  to  battle  her  own 
error,  and  redress  against  her  cruel  wrongs  of  centuries." 

The  period  of  the  doctor's  visit  to  Cambridge  was  very  oppor- 
tune. The  academic  body,  and  especially  the  chief  authorities, 
were  in  residence,  and  among  the  distinguished  men  who  paid 
him  marked  attentions  were  Dr.  Whewell,  Master  of  Trinity 
College;  Professor  Sedgwick,  the  Astronomer  Royal ;  Professor 
Selwyn  ;  and  Dr.  Bateson,  Master  of  St.  John's  College.  A  few 
paragraphs  of  a  letter  by  Professor  Sedgwick  about  that  time, 
for  |)ui)lication,  cannot  fail  to  interest  every  one  who  reads  this 
book.  "  In  the  long  period  of  my  academic  life,"  he  says,  "  I 
have  been  many  times  present  In  our  Senate  House  on  occasions 
of  joyful  excitement.  The  few  amongst  us  who  remember  the 
early  years  of  this  century  cannot  now  forget  the  thoughts  which 
filled  the  national  heart,  if  not  with  fear,  at  least  with  sorrow 


DISTINGUISHED    WELCOME.  1301 

and  deep  anxiety  ;  for  England  saw  nation  after  nation  falling 
before  the  sword  of  the  first  Napoleon ;  till  at  length  she  stood 
alone,  with  all  the  great  powers  of  Europe  combined  against 
her.  But  a  brighter  season  followed.  Europe  regained  its 
freedom  from  military  domination  ;  and  England,  with  her  in- 
stitutions safe  and  her  soil  inviolate,  seemed  to  stand  on  a  pin- 
nacle of  glory.  Again  and  again  have  I  seen  those  good,  stout- 
hearted men  who,  under  God,  had  helped  to  work  out  the 
deliverance  of  Europe  from  military  servitude,  greeted  in  the 
Senate  House  with  our  loudest  acclamations.  I  have  been 
present  at  four  installation  festivals,  when  we  met  to  do  honor 
to  the  good  men  whom  by  our  votes  we  had  placed  at  the  head 
of  the  University.  All  these  were  occasions  of  honest  and  great 
excitement.  The  last  of  them  was  graced  and  honored  by  the 
presence  of  our  sovereign.  To  her  was  due  the  first  homage  of 
the  University,  and  it  was  given  by  us  not  grudgingly,  but 
with  a  loyalty  that  carried  us  almost  beyond  ourselves,  and 
drew  from  us  the  most  fervent  gratulations  that  affectionate  and 
grateful  subjects  are  permitted  to  exhibit  in  the  presence  of  their 
sovereign.  Nor  did  we,  during  that  season  of  loyalty,  forget 
our  youthful  chancellor,  or  abate  one  jot  of  the  honor  due  him. 
We  greeted  him  as  one  placed  by  our  free  choicQ  in  the  highest 
office  of  the  University ;  as  the  consort  of  our  queen ;  as  the 
father  of  the  future  sovereign  of  England  ;  and  as  a  man  well 
trained  in  academic  learning,  to  whose  wisdom  we  might  look 
for  counsel  in  any  times  of  difficulty,  and  to  whose  eloquence 
and  influence  we  might  look  for  protection  in  an  hour  of  danger. 
All  of  these  were  grand  occasions ;  but  on  none  of  them,"  con- 
tinues the  enthusiastic  professor,  "  were  the  gratulations  of  the 
University  more  honest  and  true-hearted  than  those  offered  to 
Dr.  Livingstone.  He  stood  before  them  a  plain,  single-minded, 
cheerful  man,  and  addressed  that  learned  assembly  in  unadorned 
and  simple  words;  telling  them  simple  facts,  which,  although 
some  present  had  read  his  book,  had  all  the  power  of  freshness 
Btill.  There  was  nothing  of  self-glorying.  More  than  once 
he  exclaimed  in  the  midst  of  his  addresses,  '  I  have  made  no 
sacrifice;  I  have  only  done  my  duty.'  Providence  had  guided 
him ;  he  had  only  obeyed  impulses  which  he  could  not  have 


302  CHRISTIAN  BROTHER. 

been  happy  in  suppressing.     He  was  cherished  and  honored  as 
a  Christian  brother." 

It  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  introduce  here  one  of  those 
addresses  which  held  a  senate  of  scholars  in  profound  attention. 
It  contains  for  us,  as  it  contained  for  many  in  the  audience  to 
whom  it  was  spoken,  much  that  we  have  read;  but  it  may 
serve  to  illustrate  the  man;  at  least,  may  be  appreciated  as  a 
pleasant  memento  of  him,  and  as  connected  with  an  occasion 
whose  influence  will  be  felt  many  years  to  come.  We  will, 
therefore,  dedicate  a  chapter  to  this  address. 


fcLi 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

LECTURE   BEFORE   CAMBRIDGE   UNIVERSITY. 

[Delivered  before  the  University  of  Cambridge,  in  the  Senate-House,  on  Friday, 
December  4,  1857.  Dr.  Philpott,  Master  of  St.  Catharine's  College,  Vice- 
Chanceilor,  in  the  chair.  The  building  was  crowded  to  excess  with  all  ranks 
of  the  University  and  their  friends.  The  reception  was  so  enthusiastic  that 
literally  there  were  volley  after  volley  of  cheers.  The  Vice-Chancellor  intro- 
duced Dr.  Livingstone  to  the  meeting,  who  spoke  nearly  as  follows  :] 

When  I  went  to  Africa  about  seventeen  years  ago  I  re- 
solved to  acquire  an  accurate  knowledge  of  the  native  tongues; 
and  as  I  continued,  while  there,  to  speak  generally  in  the  African 
languages,  the  result  is  that  I  am  not  now  very  fluent  in  my 
own ;  but  if  you  will  excuse  my  imperfections  under  that  head, 
I  will  endeavor  to  give  you  as  clear  an  idea  of  Africa  as  I  can. 
If  you  look  at  the  map  of  Africa  you  will  discover  the  shortness 
of  the  coast-line,  which  is  in  consequence  of  the  absence  of  deep 
indentations  of  the  sea.  This  is  one  reason  why  the  interior 
of  Africa  has  remained  so  long  unknown  to  the  rest  of  the  world. 
Another  reason  is  the  unhealthiness  of  the  coast,  which  seems  to 
have  reacted  upon  the  disposition  of  the  people,  for  they  are  very 
unkindly,  and  opposed  to  Europeans  passing  through  their 
country.  In  the  southern  part  of  Africa  lies  the  great  Kalahari 
desert,  not  so  called  as  being  a  mere  sandy  plain,  devoid  of  vege- 
tation :  such  a  desert  I  never  saw  until  I  got  between  Suez  and 
Cairo.  Kalahari  is  called  a  desert  because  it  contains  no  streams, 
and  water  is  obtained  only  from  deep  wells.  The  reason  why  so 
little  rain  falls  on  this  extensive  plain  is,  because  the  winds  pre- 
vailing over  the  greater  part  of  the  interior  country  are  easterly, 
with  a  little  southing.  The  moisture  taken  up  by  the  atmos- 
phere from  the  Indian  ocean  is  deposited  on  the  eastern  hilly 
slope;  and  when  the  moving  mass  of  air  reaches  its  greatest 
elevation,  it  is  then  on  the  verge  of  the  great  valley,  or,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  Kalahari^  the  great  heated  inland  plains  there  meeting 


304  RAIN-MAKING. 

with  the  rarefied  air  of  that  hot,  dry  surface,  the  ascending  heat 
gives  it  greater  capacity  for  retaining  all  its  remaining  humidity, 
and  few  showers  can  be  given  to  the  middle  and  western  lands 
in  consequence  of  the  increased  hygrometric  power.  The  people 
living  there,  not  knowing  the  physical  reasons  why  they  have 
so  little  rain,  are  in  the  habit  of  sending  to  the  mountains  on 
the  east  for  rain-makers,  in  whose  power  of  making  rain  they 
have  a  firm  belief.  They  say  the  people  in  these  mountains 
have  plenty  of  rain,  and  therefore  must  possess  a  medicine  for 
making  it.  This  faith  in  rain-making  is  a  remarkable  feature  in 
the  people  in  the  country,  and  they  have  a  good  deal  to  say  in 
favor  of  it.  If  you  say  you  do  not  believe  that  these  medicines 
have  any  power  upon  the  clouds,  they  reply  that  that  is  just  the 
way  people  talk  about  what  they  do  not  understand.  They  take 
a  bulb,  pound  it,  and  administer  an  infusion  of  it  to  a  sheep:  in 
a  short  time  the  sheep  dies  in  convulsions,  and  then  they  ask, 
Has  not  the  medicine  power?  I  do  not  think  our  friends  of 
the  homoeopathic  "persuasion"  have  much  more  to  say  than 
that.  The  common  argument  known  to  all  those  tribes  is  this 
— "  God  loves  you  white  men  better  than  us  :  he  made  you  first, 
and  did  not  make  us  pretty  like  you :  he  made  us  afterwards, 
and  does  not  love  us  as  he  loves  you.  He  gave  you  clothing, 
and  horses  and  wagons,  and  guns  and  powder,  and  that  Book, 
which  you  are  always  talking  about.  He  gave  us  only  two 
things — cattle  and  a  knowledge  of  certain  medicines  by  which 
we  can  make  rain.  AVedo  not  despise  the  things  that  you  have; 
Me  only  wish  that  we  had  them  too;  we  do  not  despise  that  Book 
of  yours,  although  we  do  not  understand  it :  so  you  ought  not 
to  despise  our  knowledge  of  rain-making,  although  you  do  not 
understand  it."  You  cannot  convince  them  that  they  have  no 
power  to  make  rain.  As  it  is  with  the  homoeopathist,  so  it  is 
with  the  rain-maker — ^you  might  argue  your  tongue  out  of  joint 
and  would  convince  neither. 

I  went  into  that  country  for  the  purpose  of  teaching  the  doc- 
trines of  our  holy  religion,  and  settled  with  the  tribes  on  the 
border  of  the  Kalahari  desert.  These  tribes  were  those  of  the 
Bakwains,  Bushmen  and  Bakalahari.  Sechele  is  the  chief  of 
the  former.  On  the  oct^asion  of  the  first  religious  service  held, 
he  asked  me  if  he  could  put  some  questions  on  the  subject  of 


THE   FUTURE  STATE.  305 

Christianity,  since  such  was  the  custom  of  their  country  when 
any  new  subject  was  introduced  to  their  notice.  I  said,  "  By 
all  means."  He  then  inquired  "  If  my  forefathers  knew  of  a 
future  judgment?"  I  said,  "  Yes ; "  and  began  to  describe  the 
scene  of  the  great  white  throne,  and  IIiM  who  should  sit  on 
it,  from  whose  face  the  lieavens  shall  flee  away,  and  be  no  more 
seen ;  interrupting,  he  said,  "  You  startle  me,  these  words  make 
all  my  bones  to  shake,  I  have  no  more  strength  in  me.  You 
have  been  talking  about  a  future  judgment,  and  many  terrible 
things  of  which  we  know  nothing,"  repeating,  "  Did  your  fore- 
fathers know  of  these  things?"  I  again  replied  in  the  affirma- 
tive. The  chief  said,  "  All  my  forefathers  have  passed  away 
into  darkness,  without  knowing  anything  of  what  was  to  befall 
them;  how  is  it  that  your  forefathers,  knowing  all  these  tilings, 
did  not  send  word  to  my  forefathers  sooner?"  This  was  rather 
a  poser;  but  I  explained  the  geographical  difficulties,  and  said 
it  was  only  after  we  had  begun  to  send  the  knowledge  of  Christ 
to  Cape  Colony  and  other  parts  of  the  country,  to  which  we  had 
access,  that  we  came  to  them ;  that  it  was  their  duty  to  receive 
what  Europeans  had  now  obtained  the  power  to  offev  them  ; 
and  that  the  time  would  come  when  the  whole  world  would  re- 
ceive the  knowledge  of  Christ,  because  Christ  had  promised  that 
all  the  earth  should  be  covered  with  a  knowledge  of  himself. 
The  chief  pointed  to  the  Kalahari  desert,  and  said,  "  Will  you 
ever  get  beyond  that  with  your  gospel  ?  We,  who  are  more  ac- 
customed to  thirst  than  you  are,  cannot  cross  that  desert ;  how 
can  you  ?  "  I  stated  my  belief  in  the  promise  of  Christ ;  and 
in  a  few  years  afterwards  that  chief  was  the  man  who  enabled 
me  to  cross  that  desert ;  and  not  only  so,  but  he  himself  preached 
the  gospel  to  tribes  beyond  it. 

In  some  years  more  rain  than  usual  falls  in  the  desert,  and 
then  there  is  a  large  crop  of  water-melons.  When  this  occurred 
the  desert  might  be  crossed:  in  1852,  a  gentleman  crossed  it, 
and  his  oxen  existed  on  the  fluid  contained  in  the  melons  for 
twenty-two  days.  In  crossing  the  desert  different  sorts  of  country 
are  met  with  ;  up  to  twentieth  south  latitude  there  is  a  compa- 
ratively dry  and  ai*id  country,  and  you  might  travel  for  four 
days,  as  I  have  done,  without  a  single  drop  of  water  for  the 
oxen.     Water  for  the  travellers  themselves  was  always  carried 


306  OBJECT   IN   VISITING  THE   INTERIOR. 

in  the  wagons,  the  usual  mode  of  travelling  south  of  the 
twentieth  degree  of  latitude  being  by  ox-wagon.  For  four 
days,  upon  several  occasions,  we  had  not  a  drop  of  water  for  the 
oxen :  but  beyond  twentieth  south  latitude,  going  to  the  north, 
we  travelled  to  Loanda,  one  thousand  five  hundred  miles,  with- 
out carrying  water  for  a  single  day.  The  country  in  the  southern 
part  of  Africa  is  a  kind  of  oblong  basin,  stretching  north  and 
south,  bounded  on  all  sides  by  old  schist  rocks.  The  waters  of 
this  central  basin  find  an  exit  through  a  fissure  into  the  river 
Zambesi,  flowing  to  the  east,  the  basin  itself  being  covered  with 
a  layer  of  calcareous  tufa. 

My  object  in  going  into  the  country  south  of  the  desert  was 
to  instruct  the  natives  in  a  knowledge  of  Christianity,  but  many 
circumstances  prevented  my  living  amongst  them  more  than 
seven  years,  amongst  which  were  considerations  arising  out  of 
the  slave  system  carried  on  by  the  Dutch  Boers.  I  resolved  to 
go  into  the  country  beyond,  and  soon  found  that,  for  the  pur- 
poses of  commerce,  it  was  necessary  to  have  a  path  to  the  sea.  I 
might  have  gone  on  instructing  the  natives  in  religion,  but  as 
civilization  and  Christianity  must  go  on  together,  I  was  ob- 
liged to  find  a  path  to  the  sea,  in  order  that  I  should  not  sink 
to  the  level  of  the  natives.  The  chief  was  overjoyed  at  the  sug- 
gestion, and  furnished  me  with  twenty-seven  men,  and  canoes 
and  provisions,  and  presents  for  the  tribes  through  whose  country 
we  had  to  pass.  We  might  have  taken  a  shorter  path  to  the  sea 
than  that  to  the  north,  and  then  to  the  west,  by  which  we  went ; 
but  along  the  country  by  the  shorter  route  there  is  an  insect 
called  the  tsetse  whose  bite  is  fatal  to  horses,  oxen,  and  dogs, 
but  not  to  men  or  donkeys. — You  seem  to  think  there  is  a 
connection  between  the  two. — The  habitat  of  that  insect  is  along 
the  shorter  route  to  the  sea.  The  bite  of  it  is  fatal  to  domestic 
animals,  not  immediately,  but  certainly  in  the  course  of  two  or 
three  months;  the  animal  grows  leaner  and  leaner,  and  gradually 
dies  of  emaciation  :  a  horse  belonging  to  Gordon  Cumming  died 
of  a  bite  five  or  six  months  after  it  was  bitten. 

On  account  of  this  insect,  I  resolved  to  go  to  the  north,  and 
then  westwards  to  the  Portuguese  settlement  of  Loanda.  Along 
the  course  of  the  river  which  we  passed  game  was  so  abundant 
that  there  was  no  difficulty  in  supplying  the  wants  of  my  whole 


HOSPITALITY   OF  THE   NATIVES.  307 

party :  antelopes  were  so  tame  that  they  might  be  shot  from  the 
canoe.  But  beyond  fourteen  degrees  of  south  latitude  the 
natives  had  guns,  and  had  themselves  destroyed  the  game,  so 
that  I  and  my  party  had  to  live  on  charity.  The  people,  how- 
ever, in  that  central  region  were  friendly  and  hospitable :  but 
they  had  nothing  but  vegetable  productions  ;  the  most  abundant 
■was  the  cassava,  which,  however  nice  when  made  into  tapioca 
pudding,  resembles  in  its  more  primitive  condition  nothing  so 
much  as  a  mess  of  laundress'  starch.  There  was  a  desire  in 
the  various  villages  through  whioli  we  passed  to  have  intercourse 
with  us,  and  kindness  and  hospitality  were  shown  us ;  but  when 
we  got  near  the  Portuguese  settlement  of  Angola  the  case  was 
changed,  and  payment  was  demanded  for  everything.  But  I 
had  nothing  to  pay  with.  Now  the  people  had  been  in  the 
habit  of  trading  with  the  slavers,  and  so  they  said  I  might  give 
one  of  my  men  in  payment  for  what  I  wanted.  When  I  showed 
them  that  I  could  not  do  this,  they  looked  upon  me  as  an  in- 
terloper, and  I  was  sometimes  in  danger  of  being  murdered. 

As  we  neared  the  coast,  the  name  of  England  was  recognized, 
and  we  got  on  with  ease.  Upon  one  occasion,  when  I  was 
passing  through  the  parts  visited  by  slave-traders,  a  chief  \vho 
wished  to  show  me  some  kindness  offered  me  a  slave-girl ;  upon 
explaining  that  I  had  a  little  girl  of  my  own,  whom  I  should 
not  like  my  own  chief  to  give  to  a  black  man,  the  chief  thought 
I  was  displeased  with  the  size  of  the  girl  and  sent  me  one  a 
head  taller.  By  this  and  other  means  I  convinced  my  men  of 
my  opposition  to  the  principle  of  slavery ;  and  when  we  arrived 
at  Loanda  I  took  them  on  board  a  British  vessel,  where  I  took 
a  pride  in  showing  them  that  those  countrymen  of  mine  and 
those  guns  were  there  for  the  purpose  of  putting  down  the  slave- 
trade.  They  were  convinced  from  what  they  saw  of  the  honesty 
of  Englishmen's  intentions  ;  and  the  hearty  reception  they  met 
with  from  the  sailors  made  them  say  to  me,  "  We  see  they  are 
your  countrymen,  for  they  have  hearts  like  you."  On  the  jour- 
ney the  men  had  always  looked  forward  to  reaching  the  coast; 
they  had  seen  Manchester  prints,  and  other  articles  imported 
therefrom,  and  they  could  not  believe  they  were  made  by  mortal 
hands.  On  reaching  the  sea,  they  thought  they  had  come  to 
the  end  of  tlic  M'orld.     They  said,  "  We  marched  along  with 


308  ARRIVAL   AT   LOAXDA. 

our  father,  thinking ihe  world  was  a  large  plain  without  limit: 
but  all  at  once  the  land  said,  *  I  ara  finished ;  there  is  no  more 
of  me ; '  "  and  they  called  themselves  the  true  old  men — the 
true  ancients — having  gone  to  the  end  of  the  world.  On  reach- 
ing Loanda,  they  commenced  trading  in  firewood,  and  also  en- 
gaged themselves  at  sixpence  a  day  in  unloading  coals,  brought 
by  a  steamer  for  the  supply  of  the  cruiser  lying  there  to  watch 
the  slave- vessels.  On  their  return,  they  told  their  people  "  we 
worked  for  a  whole  moon,  carrying  away  the  stones  that  burn." 
By  the  time  they  Avere  ready  t(^  go  back  to  their  own  country, 
each  had  secured  a  large  bundle  of  goods.  On  the  way  back, 
however,  fever  detained  them,  and  their  goods  were  all  gone, 
leaving  them  on  their  return  home  as  poor  as  when  they  started. 

I  had  gone  towards  the  coast  for  the  purpose  of  finding  a 
direct  path  to  the  sea,  but  on  going  through  the  country  we 
found  forests  so  dense  that  the  sun  had  not  much  influence  on 
the  ground,  which  was  covered  with  yellow  mosses,  and  all  the 
trees  with  white  lichens.  Amongst  these  forests  were  little 
streams,  each  having  its  source  in  a  bog;  in  fact,  nearly  all  the 
rivers  in  that  country  commence  in  bogs.  Finding  it  impos- 
sible to  travel  here  in  a  wheel  conveyance,  I  left  my  wagon 
behind,  and  I  believe  it  is  standing  in  perfect  safety  where  I  last 
saw  it  at  the  present  moment.  The  only  other  means  of  con- 
veyance we  had  was  ox-back,  by  no  means  a  comfortable  mode 
of  travelling.  I  therefore  came  back  to  discover  another  route 
to  the  coast  bj^  means  of  the  river  Zambesi. 

The  same  system  of  inundation  that  distinguishes  the  Nile 
is  also  effected  by  this  river,  and  the  valley  of  the  Barotse  is 
exceedingly  like  the  valley  of  the  Nile  between  Cairo  and 
Alexandria.  The  inundations  of  the  Zambesi,  however,  cause 
no  muddy  sediment  like  those  of  tiie  Nile,  and,  only  that  there 
are  no  snow-mountains,  would  convey  the  impression  that  the 
inundations  were  the  result  of  the  melting  of  snow  from  adjoin- 
ing hills.  The  face  of  the  country  presents  no  such  features, 
but  elevated  plains,  so  level  that  rain-water  stands  for  months 
together  upon  them.  The  water  does  not  flow  off,  but  gradually 
soaks  into  the  soil,  and  then  oozes  out  in  bogs,  in  which  all  the 
rivers  take  their  rise.  They  have  two"  rainy  seasons  in  the  year, 
and  consequently  two  periods  of  inundation.     The  reason  why 


AFRICAN   HONESTY.  309 

the  water  remains  so  clear  is  this :  the  country  is  covered  by- 
such  a  mass  of  vegetation  that  the  water  flows  over  the  grass, 
etc.,  without  disturbing  the  soil  beneath. 

There  is  a  large  central  district  containing  a  large  lake  formed 
by  the  course  of  the  Zambesi,  to  explore  which  would  be  well 
worthy  of  the  attention  of  any  individual  wishing  to  distinguish 
himself. 

Having  got  down  amongst  the  people  in  the  middle  of  the 
country^  and  having  made  known  to  my  friend,  the  chief,  my 
desire  to  have  a  path  for  civilization  and  commerce  on  the  east, 
he  again  furnished  me  with  means  to  pursue  my  researches  cast- 
ward  ;  and,  U^  show  how  disposed  the  natives  were  to  aid  me  in 
my  expedition,  I  had  one  hundred  and  fourteen  men  to  accom- 
pany me  to  the  east,  whilst  those  who  had  travelled  to  the  west 
with  me  only  amounted  to  twenty-seven.  I  carried  with  me 
thirty  tusks  of  ivory ;  and,  on  leaving  my  wagon  to  set  forth 
on  my  journey,  two  warriors  of  the  country  offered  a  heifer 
apiece  to  the  man  who  should  slay  any  one  who  molested  it. 
Having  proceeded  about  a  hundred  miles,  I  found  myself  short 
of  ammunition,  and  despatched  an  emissary  back  to  the  chief  to 
procure  more  percussion  caps  from  a  box  I  had  in  my  wagon. 
Not  understanding  the  lock,  the  chief  took  a  hatchet  and  split 
the  lid  open  to  get  what  was  wanted ;  and  notwithstanding  the 
insecure  state  in  which  it  remained,  I  found,  on  returning  two 
years  after,  that  its  contents  were  precisely  as  I  left  them.  Such 
honesty  is  rare  even  in  civilized  Christian  England,  as  I  know 
from  experience;  for  I  sent  a  box  of  fossils  to  Dr.  Buckland, 
which,  after  arriving  safely  in  England,  was  stolen  from  some 
railway,  being  probably  mistaken  for  plate. 

I  could  not  make  my  friend,  the  chief,  understand  that  I  was 
poor ;  I  had  a  quantity  of  sugar,  and  while  it  lasted  the  chief 
would  favor  me  with  his  company  to  coffee ;  when  it  was  gone, 
I  told  the  chief  how  it  was  produced  from  the  cane  which  grew 
in  central  Africa,  but  as  they  had  no  means  of  extracting  the 
saccharine  matter  lie  requested  me  to  procure  a  sugar-mill. 
When  I  told  him  I  was  poor,  the  chief  then  informed  me  that 
all  the  ivory  in  the  country  was  at  my  disposal,  and  he  accord- 
ingly loaded  me  with  tusks,  ten  of  which,  on  arriving  at  the 
coast,  I  spent  in  purchasing  clothing  for  my  followers ;  the  rest 


310  NATIVE   RELIGION. 

were  left  at  Quiliniane,  that  the  impression  should  not  be  pro- 
duced in  the  country  that  they  had  been  stolen  in  case  of  my 
non-return. 

Englishmen  arc  very  apt  to  form  their  opinion  of  Africans 
from  the  elegant  figures  in  tobacconists'  shops;  I  scarcely  think 
such  are  fair  specimens  of  the  African.  I  think,  at  the  same 
time,  that  the  African  women  would  be  much  handsomer  than 
they  are  if  they  would  only  let  themselves  alone;  though  unfor- 
tunately that  is  a  failing  by  no  means  peculiar  to  African  ladies; 
but  they  are,  by  nature,  not  particularly  good-looking,  and  seem 
to  take  all  the  pains  they  can  to  make  themselves  worse.  The 
people  of  one  tribe  knock  out  all  their  upper  front  teeth,  and 
when  they  laugh  are  perfectly  hideous.  Another  tribe  of  the 
Londa  country  file  all  their  front  teeth  to  a  point,  like  cats' 
teeth,  and  when  they  grin  put  one  in  mind  of  alligators ;  many 
of  the  women  are  comely,  but  spoil  their  beauty  by  such  un- 
natural means.  Another  tribe  has  a  custom  of  piercing  the 
cartilage  of  the  nose  and  inserting  a  bit  of  reed,  which  spreads 
it  out,  and  makes  them  very  disagreeable-looking ;  others  tie 
their  hair,  or  rather  wool,  into  basket-work,  resembling  the  tou- 
sorial  decorations  of  the  ancient  Egyptians;  others,  again,  dress 
their  hair  with  a  hoop  around  it,  so  as  to  resemble  the  gloria 
round  the  head  of  the  virgin  ;  rather  a  different  application  of 
the  hoop  to  that  of  English  ladies. 

The  people  of  central  Africa  have  religious  ideas  stronger 
than  tJiose  of  the  Caffres  and  other  southern  nations,  who  talk 
much  of  God  but  pray  seldom.  They  pray  to  departed  rela- 
tiveSj  by  whom  they  imagine  illnesses  are  sent  to  punish  them 
for  any  neglect  on  their  part.  Evidences  of  the  Portuguese 
Jesuit  missionary  operations  are  still  extant,  and  are  carefully 
preserved  by  the  natives ;  one  tribe  can  all  read  and  write,  which 
is  ascribable  to  the  teaching  of  the  Jesuits  ;  their  only  books  are, 
however,  histories  of  saints,  and  miracles  effected  by  the  parings 
of  saintly  toe-nails,  and  such  like  nonsense;  but,  surely,  if  such 
an  impression  has  once  been  ])roduced,  it  might  be  hoped  that 
the  efforts  of  Protestant  missionaries,  who  wouhl  leave  the  Bible 
with  these  poor  i)eople,  would  not  be  less  abiding. 

In  a  commercial  point  of  view  communication  with  this 
country  4s  desirable.     Angola  is  wonderfully  fertile,  producing 


THE   PORTUGUESE   IN   AFRICA. 


311 


every  kind  of  tropical  plant  in  rank  luxuriance.  Passing  on 
to  the  valley  of  Quango,  the  stalk  of  the  grass  was  as  thick  as 
a  quill,  and  towered  above  my  head,  although  I  was  mounted 
on  my  ox ;  cotton  is  produced  in  great  abundance,  though 
merely  woven  into  common  cloth ;  bananas  and  pine-apples 
grow  in  great  luxuriance ;  but  the  people  having  no  maritime 
communication,  these  advantages  are  almost  lost.  The  country 
on  the  other  side  is  not  quite  so  fertile,  but  in  addition  to  indigo, 
cotton,  and  sugar-cane,  produces  a  fibrous  substance,  which  I 
am  assured  is  stronger  than  flax. 

The  Zambesi  has  not  been  thouglit  much  of  as  a  river  by 
Europeans,  not  appearing  very  large  at  its  mouth ;  but  on 
going  up  it  for  seventy  miles  it  is  enormous.  The  first  three 
hundred  miles  might  be  navigated  without  obstacle ;  then  there 
is  a  rapid,  and  near  it  a  coal-field  of  large  extent.  The  elevated 
sides  of  the  basin,  which  form  the  most  important  feature  of  the 
country,  are  far  different  in  climate  to  the  country  nearer  the 
sea,  or  even  the  centre.  Here  the  grass  is  short,  and  the  Angola 
goat,  which  could  not  live  in  the  centre,  had  been  seen  on  the 
east  highland  by  Mr.  ISIoffat. 

My  desire  is  to  open  a  path  to  this  district,  that  civilization, 
commerce,  and  Christianity  might  find  their  way  there.  I  con- 
sider that  we  made  a  great  mistake  when  we  carried  commerce 
into  India  in  being  ashamed  of  our  Christianity ;  as  a  matter  of 
common  sense  and  good  policy,  it  is  always  best  to  appear  in 
one's  true  character.  In  travelling  through  Africa  I  might 
have  imitated  certain  Portuguese,  and  have  passed  for  a  chief; 
but  I  never  attempted  anything  of  the  sort,  although  endeavor- 
ing always  to  keep  to  the  lessons  of  cleanliness  rigidly  instilled 
by  my  mother  long  a^^j .  the  consequence  was  that  the  natives 
respected  me  for  that  quality,  though  remaining  dirty  themselves. 

I  had  a  pass  from  the  Portuguese  consul,  and  on  arriving  at 
their  settlement  I  was  asked  what  I  was.  I  said,  "A  mis- 
sionary, and  a  doctor,  too."  They  asked,  *'  Are  you  a  doctor 
of  medicine  ?  " — "  Yes." — "  Are  you  not  a  doctor  of  mathematics, 
too  ?  " — "  No." — "  And  yet  you  can  take  longitudes  and  lati- 
tudes." Then  they  asked  me  about  my  moustache ;  and  I  simply 
said  I  wore  it  because  men  had  moustaches  to  wear  and  ladies 
had  not.  They  could  not  understand  either  why  a  sacerdote 
16 


312  COMMERCE  AND   CHKISTIANITY. 

should  have  a  wife  and  four  children ;  and  many  a  joke  took 
place  upon  that  subject,  I  used  to  say^  "  Is  it  not  better  to  have 
children  with  than  without  a  wife  ?  "  Englishmen  of  education 
always  command  respect  without  any  adventitious  aid.  A  Por- 
tuguese governor  left  for  Angola,  giving  out  that  he  M'as  going 
to  keep  a  large  establishment,  and  taking  with  him  quantities 
of  crockery,  and  about  five  hundred  waistcoats ;  but  when  he 
arrived  in  Africa  he  made  a  "  deal  "  of  them.  Educated  Eng- 
lishmen seldom  descend  to  that  sort  of  thing. 

A  prospect  is  now  before  us  of  opening  Africa  for  commerce 
and  the  gospel.  Providence  has  been  preparing  the  way ;  for 
even  before  I  proceeded  to  the  Central  basin  it  had  been  con- 
quered and  rendered  safe  by  a  chief  named  Scbituane,  and  the 
language  of  the  Bechuauas  made  the  fashionable  tongue,  and 
that  was  one  of  the  languages  into  which  Mr.  Moffat  had  trans- 
lated the  Scriptures.  Sebituane  also  discovered  Lake  Ngami 
some  time  previous  to  my  explorations  in  that  part.  In  going 
back  to  that  country  my  object  is  to  open  up  traffic  along  the 
banks  of  the  Zambesi,  and  also  to  preach  the  gospel.  The  na- 
tives of  central  Africa  are  very  desirous  of  trading,  but  their 
only  traffic  is  at  present  in  slaves,  of  which  the  poorer  people 
have  an  unmitigated  horror  ;  it  is  therefore  most  desirable  to  en- 
courage the  former  principle,  and  thus  open  a  way  for  the  con- 
sumption of  free  productions,  and  the  introduction  of  Christianity 
and  commerce.  By  encouraging  the  native  propensity  for  trade, 
the  advantages  that  might  be  derived  in  a  commercial  point  of 
view  are  incalculable ;  nor  should  we  lose  sight  of  the  inestima- 
ble blessings  it  is  in  our  power  to  bestow  upon  the  unenlightened 
African  by  giving  him  the  light  of  Christianity.  Those  two 
pioneers  of  civilization  —  Christianity  and  commerce — should 
ever  be  inseparable ;  and  Englishmen  should  be  warned  by  the 
fruits  of  neglecting  that  principle  as  exemplified  in  the  result 
of  the  management  of  Indian  aifairs.  By  trading  with  Africa, 
also,  we  should  at  length  be  independent  of  slave-labor,  and 
thus  discountenance  practices  so  obnoxious  to  every  Englishman, 

Though  the  natives  are  not  absolutely  anxious  to  receive  the 
gospel,  they  are  open  to  Christian  influences.  Among  the  Bech- 
uauas the  gospel  was  well  received.  These  people  think  it  a 
crime  to  shed  a  tear_,  but  I  have  seen  some  of  them  weep  at  the 


THE   MISSIONARY   LIFE,  3l3 

recollection  of  their  sins  when  God  had  opened  their  hearts  to 
Cliristiauity  and  repentance.  It  is  true  that  missionaries  have 
difficulties  to  encounter;  but  what  great  enterprise  was  ever  ac- 
complished without  difficulty  ?  It  is  deplorable  to  think  that 
one  of  the  noblest  of  our  missionary  societies,  the  Church  Mis- 
sionary Society,  is  compelled  to  send  to  Germany  for  missionaries, 
whilst  other  societies  are  amply  supplied.  Let  this  stain  be 
wiped  off. — The  sort  of  men  who  are  wanted  for  missionaries 
are  such  as  I  see  before  me  ; — men  of  education,  standing,  en- 
terprise, zeal,  and  piety.  It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  any 
one,  as  long  as  he  is  pious,  will  do  for  this  office.  Pioneers  in 
everything  should  be  the  ablest  and  best  qualified  men,  not  those 
of  small  ability  and  education.  This  remark  especially  applies 
to  the  first  teachers  of  Christian  truth  in  regions  which  may 
never  have  before  been  blest  with  the  name  and  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ.  In  the  early  ages  the  monasteries  were  the  schools  of 
Europe,  and  the  monks  were  not  ashamed  to  hold  the  plough. 
The  missionaries  now  take  the  place  of  those  noble  m'en,  and  we 
should  not  hesitate  to  give  up  the  small  luxuries  of  life  in  order 
to  carry  knowledge  and  truth  to  them  that  are  in  darkness.  I 
hope  that  many  of  those  whom  I  now  address  will  embrace  that 
honorable  career.  Education  has  been  given  us  from  above  for 
the  purpose  of  bringing  to  the  benighted  the  knowledge  of  a 
Saviour.  If  you  knew  the  satisfaction  of  performing  such  a 
duty,  as  well  as  the  gratitude  to  God  which  the  missionary  must 
always  feel,  in  being  chosen  for  so  noble,  so  sacred  a  calling,  you 
would  have  no  hesitation  in  embracing  it. 

For  my  own  part,  I  have  never  ceased  to  rejoice  that  God 
has  appointed  me  to  such  an  office.  People  talk  of  the  sacrifice 
I  have  made  in  spending  so  much  of  my  life  in  Africa.  Can 
that  be  called  a  sacrifice  which  is  simply  paid  back  as  a  small 
part  of  a  great  debt  owing  to  our  God,  which  we  can  never  re- 
pay ? — Is  that  a  sacrifice  which  brings  its  own  blest  reward  in 
healthful  activity,  the  consciousness  of  doing  good,  peace  of 
mind,  and  a  bright  hope  of  a  glorious  destiny  hereafler  ? — Away 
with  the  word  in  such  a  view,  and  with  such  a  tliought !  It  is 
emphatically  no  sacrifice.  Say  rather  it  is  a  privilege.  Anxiety, 
sickness,  suffering,  or  danger,  now  and  then,  with  a  foregoing 
of  the  common  conveniences  and  charities  of  this  life,  may  make 


314       Livingstone's  African  life  no  sacrifice. 

us  pause,  and  cause  the  spirit  to  waver,  and  the  soul  to  sink,  but 
let  this  only  be  for  a  moment.  All  these  are  nothing  when  com- 
pared with  the  glory  which  shall  hereafter  be  revealed  in  and 
for  us.  I  never  made  a  sacrifice.  Of  this  we  ought  not  to  talk, 
when  we  remember  the  great  sacrifice  wliich  He  made  who  lefl 
his  Father's  throne  on  high  to  give  himself  for  us: — "Who 
being  the  brightness  of  that  Father's  glory,  and  the  express 
image  of  his  person,  and  upholding  all  things  by  the  word  of 
his  power,  when  he  had  by  himself  purged  our  sins,  sat  down 
on  the  right  hand  of  the  majesty  on  high." 

English  people  are  treated  with  respect ;  and  the  missionary 
can  earn  his  living  by  his  gun — a  course  not  open  to  a  country 
curate.     I  would  rather  be  a  poor  missionary  than  a  poor  curate. 

Then  there  is  the  pleasant  prospect  of  returning  home  and 
seeing  the  agreeable  faces  of  his  countrywomen  again.  I  suppose 
]  present  a  pretty  contrast  to  you.  At  Cairo  we  met  a  party  of 
joung  English  people,  whose  faces  were  quite  a  contrast  to  the 
skinny,  withered  ones  of  those  who  had  spent  the  latter  years 
of  their  life  in  a  tropical  clime ;  they  were  the  first  rosy  cheeks 
I  had  seen  for  sixteen  years ;  you  can  hardly  tell  how  pleasant 
it  is  to  see  the  blooming  cheeks  of  young  ladies  before  me,  afiter 
an  absence  of  sixteen  years  from  such  delightful  objects  of  con- 
templation. There  is  also  the  pleasure  of  the  welcome  home, 
and  I  heartily  thank  you  for  the  welcome  you  have  given  me 
on  the  present  occasion  ;  but  there  is  also  the  hope  of  the  welcome 
words  of  our  Lord,  "  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant." 

I  beg  to  direct  your  attention  to  Africa ; — I  know  that  in  a 
few  years  I  shall  be  cut  off  in  that  country,  which  is  now  open ; 
do  not  let  it  be  shut  again  !  I  go  back  to  Africa  to  try  to  make 
an  open  path  for  commerce  and  Christianity ;  do  you  carry  out 
the  work  which  I  have  begun.     I  leave  it  with  you  ! 


CHAPTER    XV. 

AGAIN   IN   AFEICA. 

Results  of  Efforts  at  Universities— Universities'  Mission— Livingstone  Appointed 
Britisli  Consul  —  Interview  with  the  Queen — Reasons  for  Accepting  the 
Governmeutal  Appointment — Love  for  his  Mother — Care  of  her — Government 
Appropriation — The  Farewell  Banquet — Distinguished  Assembly — Speeches — 
Sir  Roderick  Murchison — Livingstone's  Address— Arrangements  Completed — 
Members  of  the  Expedition— The  Steam  Launch — The  "Pearl" — The  De- 
parture from  England — Livingstone's  Responsibility — What  the  Government 
Expected — Letters  by  the  Way — Arrival  at  the  Mouth  of  the  Zambesi. 

The  eifort  of  Dr.  Livingstone  at  the  great  universities  was 
not  only  an  occasion  full  of  complimentary  attentions ;  it  was  aa 
occasion  which  did  not  pass  from  the  hearts  of  the  noble  men 
with  whom  he  had  held  loving  counsel,  and  he  was  rejoiced  to 
witness  speedy  preparation*  on  the  part  of  Oxford  and  Cam- 
bridge, in  which  they  were  joined  by  the  Universities  of  Dur- 
ham and  Dublin,  for  establishing  a  mission  in  Africa,  to  be 
known  as  the  "  Universities'  Mission  to  Central  Africa." 

The  time  was  now  drawing  nigh  when  he  felt  that  he  could 
no  longer  indulge  himself  in  the  comforts  of  home,  even  though, 
while  there,  his  heart  and  hands  were  full  of  labors.  He  had 
been  appointed  by  her  majesty  "  British  Consul  to  the  Portu- 
guese Possessions  in  South  Africa,"  a  position  which  he  was 
constrained  to  accept,  because  it  afforded  facilities  for  prosecuting 
his  work  of  opening  Africa  to  the  light  of  the  gospel,  which  he 
could  not  enjoy  as  the  missionary  of  any  board.  There  was  also 
a  demand  on  liim  to  assume  relations  which  would  be  more 
remunerative.  His  aged  mother  needed  his  aid,  and  his  noble 
heart  would  not  excuse  himself  from  so  holy  a  duty  as  that  of 
providing  for  the  comfort  of  his  mother,  by  even  the  important 
duties  of  his  distant  mission.  He  loved  the  Africans,  but  he 
did  not  feel  himself  called  to  suffer  the  light  to  go  out  in  the 
home  of  his  mother  that  he  miglit  kindle  one  on  the  hearth  of 
his  adopted  brethren.     The  little  incident,  coming  we  hardly 

315 


316  FAREWELL   BANQUET. 

know  how  to  our  knowledge,  sparkles  like  a  jewel  over  the  heart 
of  the  man  we  have  already  learned  to  love  not  less  than  we 
honor  him. 

Having  appointed  him  as  its  ambassador,  the  government 
also  appropriated  <£5000  for  the  fitting  out  of  an  expedition  to 
explore  the  Zambesi  and  the  neighboring  country,  to  be  headed 
by  Dr.  Livingstone.  And  her  Majesty  honored  the  man  who 
had  become  the  central  object  of  the  time,  with  a  personal  in- 
terview. The  Royal  Geographical  Society  took  a  deep  interest 
in  the  new  expedition,  and  one  of  the  most  interesting  events  of 
Dr.  Livingstone's  sojourn  in  England  was  the  farewell  banquet 
with  which  the  distinguished  members  of  this  great  society  hon- 
ored him  on  the  13th  of  February,  1868.  The  banquet  was 
piresided  over  by  Sir  Roderick  Murchison,  and  there  were 
laore  than  three  hundred  gentlemen,  many  of  them  well  known 
snd  of  illustrious  rank.  Science  and  art  were  there  to  do  honor 
ti)  a  noble  man.  The  church  and  the  state  came  to  bid  god- 
speed to  the  most  faithful  servant  of  both.  The  ambassadors  of 
Denmark,  Sweden  and  Norway  were  there,  and  many  nobles 
and  ladies  filled  the  galleries,  delighted  to  witness  the  proceed- 
ings and  hear  the  speeches.  There  were  many  of  these  during 
*;he  evening.  The  ever-ardent  president  delivered  a  character- 
istic address,  in  the  midst  of  which,  after  referring  to  the  ser- 
vice which  their  honored  guest  had  rendered  to  those  interests 
which  are  more  conspicuous  in  human  attention,  he  said : 
"  These  are  great  claims  upon  the  admiration  of  men  of  science; 
but,  great  as  they  are,  they  fall  far  short  of  others  Avhich  attach 
to  the  name  of  the  missionary  who,  by  his  fidelity  to  his  M'ord, 
by  his  conscientious  regard  for  his  engagements,  won  the  affec- 
tion of  the  natives  of  Africa  by  the  example  which  he  set  before 
them  in  his  treatment  of  the  poor  people  who  followed  him  in 
his  arduous  researches  through  that  great  continent." 

The  speech  of  Dr.  Livingstone  on  this  occasion  is  particu- 
larly interesting,  as  giving  a  complete  account  of  the  great 
traveller's  plans.     He  arose  and  said : 

"When  I  was  in  Africa  I  could  not  but  look  forward  witJi 
joyous  anticipation  to  my  arrival  in  my  native  land  ;  but  wlien 
I  remember  how  T  have  been  received,  and  Avlicn  I  reflect  tliat 
I  am  now  again  returning  to  the  scene  of  my  former  labors,  I 


FAREWELL   SPEECH.  .M7 

am  at  a  loss  how  to  express  in  words  the  feelings  of  my  heart 
In  former  times,  Avhilc  I  was  performing  what  I  considered  to 
l)c  my  duty  in  Africa,  I  felt  great  pleasure  in  the  work  ;  and 
now,  when  I  perceive  that  all  eyes  are  directed  to  my  future 
conduct,  I  feel  as  if  I  were  laid  under  a  load  of  obligation  to  do 
better  than  I  have  ever  done  as  yet.  I  expect  to  find  for  my- 
self no  large  fortune  in  that  country,  nor  do  I  expect  to  explore 
any  large  portions  of  a  new  country,  but  I  do  hope  to  find 
through  that  part  of  the  country  which  I  have  already  explored, 
a  pathway  by  means  of  the  river  Zambesi  which  may  lead  to 
highlands  where  Europeans  may  form  a  settlement,  and  where, 
by  opening  up  communication  and  establishing  commercial 
intercourse  with  the  natives  of  Africa,  they  may  slowly,  but  not 
the  less  surely,  impart  to  the  people  of  that  country  the  knowl- 
ec7ge  and  the  inestimable  blessings  of  Christianity. 

"  I  am  glad  to  have  connected  with  me  in  this  expedition  my 
gallant  friend  Captain  Bedingficld,  who  knows  not  only  what 
African  rivers  are,  but  also  what  are  African  fevers.  "With  his 
aid  I  may  be  able  to  discover  the  principles  of  the  river  system 
of  that  great  continent,  and  if  I  find  that  system  to  be  Avhat  I 
think  it  is,  I  propose  to  establish  a  depot  upon  the  Zambesi,  and 
from  that  station  more  especially  to  examine  into  that  river 
system,  which,  according  to  the  statements  of  the  natives,  if 
discovered,  would  afford  a  pathway  to  the  country  beyond, 
where  cotton,  indigo,  and  other  raw  material  might  be  obtained 
to  any  amount. 

"  I  am  happy  also  in  being  accompanied  by  men  experienced 
in  geology,  in  botany,  in  art,  and  in  photography,  who  will 
bring  back  to  England  reports  upon  all  those  points,  which  I 
alone  have  attempted  to  deal  with,  and  with  very  little  means 
at  my  disposal. 

"  The  success — if  I  may  call  it  success — which  has  attended 
my  former  efforts  to  open  up  the  country  mainly  depended  upon 
my  entering  into  the  feelings  and  the  wishes  of  the  people  of 
the  interior  of  Africa.  I  found  that  the  tribes  in  the  interior 
of  that  country  were  just  as  anxious  to  have  a  part  of  the  sea- 
board as  I  was  to  open  a  communication  with  the  interior,  and 
I  am  quite  certain  of  obtaining  the  co-operation  of  those  tribes 
in  my  next  expe<lition.     Should  I  succeed  in   my  endeavor, 


318  FAREWELL   SPEECH. 

should  we  be  able  to  open  a  communication  advantageous  to 
ourselves  with  the  natives  of  the  interior  of  Africa,  it  would  be 
our  great  duty  to  confer  upon  them  those  great  benefits  of 
Christianity  which  have  been  bestowed  upon  ourselves.  Let  us 
not  make  the  same  mistake  in  Africa  that  we  have  made  in 
India,  but  let  us  take  to  that  country  our  Christianity  with  us. 

"  I  confess  that  I  am  not  sanguine  enough  to  hope  for  any 
speedy  results  from  this  expedition,  but  I  am  sanguine  as  to  its 
ultimate  result.  I  feel  convinced  that  if  we  can  establish  a 
system  of  free  labor  in  Africa,  it  will  have  a  most  decided  in- 
fluence upon  slavery  throughout  the  Avorld.  Success,  however, 
under  Providence,  depends  upon  us  as  Englishmen.  I  look 
upon  Englishmen  as  perhaps  the  most  freedom-loving  people  in 
the  world,  and  I  think  that  the  kindly  feeling  which  has  been 
displayed  towards  me  since  my  return  to  my  native  land  has 
arisen  from  the  belief  that  my  efforts  might  at  some  future  time 
tend  to  put  an  end  to  the  odious  traffic  in  slaves.  England  has, 
unfortunately,  been  compelled  to  obtain  cotton  and  other  raw 
material  from  slave  States,  and  has  thus  been  the  mainstay  and 
support  of  slavery  in  America.  Surely,  then,  it  follows  that  if 
we  can  succeed  in  obtaining  the  raw  material  from  other  sources 
than  from  the  slave  States  of  America  we  should  strike  a  heavy 
blow  at  the  system  of  slavery  itself. 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  arouse  expectations  in  connection  with 
this  expedition  which  may  never  be  realized,  but  what  I  want 
to  do  is  to  get  in  the  thin  end  of  the  wedge,  and  then  I  leave  it 
to  be  driven  home  by  English  energy  and  English  spirit. 

"  I  cannot  express  to  you  in  adequate  language  the  sense 
which  I  entertain  of  the  kindness  which  I  have  received  since 
my  return  to  this  country,  but  I  can  assure  you  that  I  shall 
ever  retain  a  grateful  recollection  of  the  way  you  have  received 
me  on  the  eve  of  my  departure  from  my  native  land. 

"  Heference  has  been  made  in  language  most  kind  to  Mrs. 
Livingstone.  Now,  it  is  scarcely  fair  to  ask  a  man  to  i)raisc 
his  own  wife,  but  I  can  only  say  that  when  I  left  her  at  tlie 
Ca[)e,  telling  her  that  I  should  return  in  two  years,  and  when 
it  happened  that  I  was  absent  four  years  and  a  half^  I  supposed 
that  I  should  ai)pear  before  her  with  :i  damaged  character.  I 
was,  however,  forgiven.     ]My  wile  will  accompany  me  in  this 


A.   CHARACTEEISTIC   REPLY.  319 

expedition,  and  I  believe  will  be  most  useful  to  me.  She  is 
familiar  with  tlie  languages  of  South  Africa,  she  is  able  to  work, 
she  is  willing  to  endure,  and  she  well  knows  that  in  that  coun- 
try one  must  put  one's  hand  to  everything.  In  the  country  to 
which  I  am  about  to  proceed  she  knows  that  the  wife  must  be 
the  maid-of-all-M-ork  Avithin,  while  the  husband  must  be  the 
jack-of-all-trudes  without,  and  glad  am  I  indeed  that  I  am  to 
be  accompanied  by  my  guardian  angel.  Allow  me  now  to  say 
just  one  word  in  reference  to  our  chairman  ;  let  me  just  tell  you 
that  I  found  a  few  days  back  an  abstract  from  an  address  which 
he  delivered  to  the  Geographical  Society  in  1852,  and  which  he 
had  the  assurance  to  send  to  mc.  In  that  address  my  distin- 
guished friend  foreshadowed  a  great  portion  of  those  discoveries 
which  I  subsequently  made,  and  all  I  can  now  say  is  that  I 
hope  he  will  not  do  the  same  thing  again." 

All  things  Avere  now  ready.  Some  time  before  Lord  Pal- 
merston,  then  Prime  Minister,  had  sent  a  distinguished  member 
of  the  bar  to  Dr.  Livingstone,  to  ask  him  what  he  could  do  for 
him,  and  his  reply  had  been  :  "  Open  the  Portuguese  ports  of 
East  Africa."  Now  he  began  to  anticipate  the  realization  of 
his  request.  He  was  about  starting  to  those  coasts,  protected 
by  English  authority  and  clothed  with  the  dignity  of  an 
English  official,  to  search  out  in  the  name  of  England  the  hid- 
den land.  The  members  of  the  expedition  had  been  selected 
by  himself.  They  were  Captain  Bedingfield,  R.  N.,  well  known 
for  his  exploration  of  the  Congo  and  other  African  rivers;  Dr. 
Kirk,  M.  D.,  of  Edinburgh,  as  botanist;  Mr.  R.  Thornton,  of 
the  School  of  Mines,  as  mining  geologist ;  Mr.  T.  Bains  as 
artist;  Mr.  Rae  as  engineer  of  the  launch,  and  Dr.  Living- 
stone's brother,  who  was  expected  to  take  charge  of  an  estab- 
lishment proposed  to  l)e  fixed  at  the  confluence  of  one  of  the 
tributaries  of  the  Zambesi."  A  beautiful  iron  steam  launch 
had  been  constructed  by  order  of  the  government  for  the  pur- 
pases  of  the  expedition — a  vessel  seventy-five  feet  long,  eight 
feet  broad  and  three  feet  deej),  in  the  shape  of  a  large  flat- 
bottomed  boat,  with  both  ends  alike  and  covered  with  awnings 
— a  precious  piece  of  invention  and  workmanship,  which,  as  we 
shall  find,  was  better  suited  to  dry  land  than  such  a  river  as  the 
Zambesi. 


320  INSTRUCTIONS   OF   HER   MAJESTY. 

The  farewell  passed,  and  the  good  steamer  "Pearl,"  with  the 
launch  stowed  away  piecemeal  in  her  capacious  hull,  and  the 
genei'ous  supplies  of  a  liberal  government,  received  her  more 
precious  cargo  of  huraau  beings  on  the  10th  of  March.  Such 
men  as  formed  the  expedition  could  be  at  no  loss  for  occupation, 
even  in  the  narrow  confines  of  their  little  floating  home.  There 
was  opportunity  to  reflect  and  converse  and  familiarize  them- 
selves with  the  plans  by  which  they  hoped  to  serve  England 
and  Africa  most  acceptably.  For  Dr.  Ivivingstone  particularly 
this  was  an  expedition  of  vast  responsibility.  He  had  awakened 
the  interest  which  had  determined  the  action  of  the  government, 
£/nd  which  had  moved  a  number  of  organizations  to  project 
missions  for  central  Africa.  His  responsibility  imposed  heavier 
labor  on  him  than  he  had  ever  performed.  He  must  assist  the 
missionaries  who  were  about  leaving  England ;  he  could  not 
t/iink  of  neglecting  them ;  and  he  must  see  to  it  that  the  author- 
ities which  had  commissioned  him  be  not  disappointed  in  the 
results  of  the  enterprise.  The  explicit  instructions  of  her 
Majesty's  government  were  that  the  knowledge  already  attained 
of  the  geography  and  the  mineral  and  agricultural  resources  of 
eastern  and  central  Africa  be  extended,  that  the  acquaintance 
of  the  inhabitants  be  improved,  that  they  might  be  taught  to 
apply  themselves  to  the  cultivation  of  their  lands  with  a  view 
to  the  production  of  raw  material  to  be  exported  to  England  in 
return  for  British  manufactures ;  and  it  Avas  hoped  that,  by 
encouraging  the  natives  to  occupy  themselves  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  resources  of  the  country,  a  considerable  advance 
might  be  made  towards  the  extinction  of  the  slave  trade,  as  they 
M'ould  not  be  long  in  discovering  that  the  former  would  even- 
tually be  a  more  certain  source  of  profit  than  the  latter.  The 
expedition  was  sent  in  accordance  with  the  settled  policy  of  the 
English  government;  and  the  Earl  of  Clarendon  being  then  at 
the  head  of  the  Foreign  Oflice,  the  mission  was  organized  under 
his  immediate  care.  It  was  an  enterprise,  however,  which  em- 
bodied the  principles  of  no  one  party.  It  possessed  the  hearts 
of  the  people. 

From  tlie  various  points  where  opportunities  were  afforded 
letters  were  sent  back  to  England,  all  breathing  the  same  lofty 
coura<re  and  vi<rorous  resolution  and   humble   faith  which  so 


ARRIVAL   AT  THE   ZAMBESI. 


321 


fittingly  distingnislicxl  tliosc  truly  great  spirits  which  have 
always  led  the  van  of  Christian  civilization.  In  due  time  the 
ship  had  passed  the  Cape  and  Natal,  and  drew  near  to  the  for- 
ests of  mangrove,  which,  coming  down  to  the  water's  edge,  and 
casting  their  shadows  on  the  confluence  of  the  Zambesi  with  the 
sea,  seemed  as  if  conspiring  with  the  usurpers  of  the  soil  for  its 
concealment. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

ARRIVAL   AT  TETE. 

Portuguese  and  the  Zambesi — Posterity's  Applause— The  Explanation  of  the 
Outlet— The  Kongone— The  Bar— The  Country— Timidity  of  Natives— The 
Fertility  of  Soil— The  Natives'  Curiosity— Their  Cupidity— The  Channel— The 
Departure  of  the  "Pearl" — The  First  Work — Mazaro — Excitement — Living- 
stone's Courage — Mariano's  Cruelty — The  Zulus — Their  Tax— Their  Charac- 
ter, Hospitality,  etc. — Zulu  Lawyer — Shupanga  —  The  Grave  Under  the 
Baobab— Reception  at  Senna — Senhor  Ferraro — Arrival  at  Tete— "  We  will 
Sleep  To-night." 

Notwithstanding  the  expressions  of  Portuguese  sympathy 
with  the  growing  interest  of  the  civilized  world  in  African  dis- 
covery, they  have  the  credit  of  studiously  preventing,  as  far  as 
they  have  been  able,  under  pretence  of  friendliness,  all  those 
expeditions  which  looked  toward  the  elevation  of  the  natives  in 
the  grade  of  manhood,  and  avowed  their  antipathy  to  the  trade 
in  slaves.  The  care  which  they  have  been  at  to  obscure  the 
great  eastern  pathway  toward  Jhe  heart  of  the  continent  is  too 
noticeable  and  reproachful  to  escape  the  remark  and  censure  of 
one  even  whose  charity  was  almost  a  fault  sometimes.  Dr. 
Livingstone  could  not  suppress  or  conceal  his  impatience  when 
he  was  satisfied  that  the  cupidity  of  the  nominal  occupants  and 
possessors  of  the  Zambesi  delta  had  moved  them  to  practise 
deliberate  deception,  by  means  of  maps  and  published  papers, 
concerning  the  real  entrance  of  the  noble  river  which  they  had 
degraded  into  a  highway  for  their  unlawful  and  inhuman  traflic. 
It  is  well  known  that  the  "  Kwakwa,"  or  "  River  of  Quili- 
mane,"  some  sixty  miles  distant  from  the  mouths  of  the  Zam- 
besi, luLs  long  been  represented  as  the  principal  entrance  to  that 
great  river;  while  in  fact  this  "  principal  entrance  "  was  little 
more  than  a  natural  canal  along  which  slave-boats  might  pass 
from  the  Zambesi  to  Quilimane,  at  such  times  as  the  overflow 
322 


posterity's  ArPLAUSE.  323 

of  the  river  rendered  it  navigable;  and  only  when  the  enterprise 
of  Livingstone  had  associated  the  discovery  of  the  Zambesi  with 
his  name,  were  the  "authorities"  provoked  to  confess  that  the 
harbor  of  the  Kongone  had  been  for  years  a  place  of  refuge  for 
their  slave-ships  from  the  "  persecutions  of  English  cruisers." 
If  we  may  depend  on  a  statement  which  confesses  such  nefarious 
deceptions  and  such  selfish  disregard  of  the  progress  of  geograph- 
ical science  and  the  anxieties  of  all  Christendom  besides,  in 
order  to  recover  the  forfeited  glory  of  discovery,  wo  cannot 
award  them  a  prize  which  shall  be  any  glory  to  them,  except  as 
it  is  glorious  to  emulate  the  selfishness  and  falseness  of  the  arch 
enemy  of  human  happiness,  who  labors  always  to  divert  the 
rays  of  heavenly  light  from  human  souls,  that  a  darkened  realm, 
where  sin  and  sorrow  struggle  helplessly,  may  recognize  his  vile 
dominion  and  pay  him  tribute.  It  is  certain  that  Christian 
people  all  over  the  world,  whose  hearts  are  swelling  with  hope 
and  joy  while  they  trace  the  advance  of  African  missions,  will 
think  of  David  Livingstone  when  they  pray  for  their  sons  and 
daughters  ascending  the  Zambesi.  It  is  certain  that  thoughtful 
men,  the  Avorld  over,  will  never  erect  their  monuments  to  the 
Portuguese  when  they  realize  the  benefits  of  African  commerce. 
Whatever  knowledge  of  the  real  highway  may  have  been  care- 
fully treasured  at  Lisbon,  and  turned  to  the  account  of  selfish 
officials,  the  Governor  of  Tete  testified,  on  the  9th  of  July, 
1859,  in  a  letter  addressed  to  a  brother  official  of  Portugal,  that 
Dr.  Livingstone  was  the  first  man  who  had  passed  from  the  sea 
to  Tete  over  the  real  outlet  of  the  Zambesi.  He  claims  the 
glory  of  first  exploring  the  mouths  through  which  the  great 
river,  which  has  come  into  such  prominence  in  connection  with 
his  travels,  pours  its  waters  into  the  ocean.  He  reported  four 
distinct  outlets — the  Milambe,  which  is  the  most  westerly ;  the 
Kongone,  the  Luabo,  and  the  Timbwe  (or  Muselo).  Of  these 
mouths  the  "report"  says:  "After  the  examination  of  three 
branches  by  the  able  and  energetic  surveyor,  Francis  Skead, 
R.  N.,  the  Kongone  was  found  to  be  the  best  entrance.  The 
immense  amount  of  sand  brought  down  by  the  Zambesi  has  in 
the  course  of  ages  formed  a  sort  of  promontory,  against  which 
the  long  swell  of  the  Indian  ocean,  beating  during  the  prevail- 
ing winds,  has  formed  bars,  which,  acting  against  the  waters  of 


324  THE   KONG  ONE. 

the  delta,  may  have  led  to  their  exit  sideways.  The  Kongone 
is  one  of  the  lateral  branches,  and  the  safest,  inasmuch  as  the 
bar  has  nearly  two  fathoms  on  it  at  low  water,  and  the  rise  at 
spring  tides  is  from  twelve  to  fourteen  feet.  The  bar  is  narrow 
and  the  passage  nearly  straight.  Were  it  buoyed,  and  a  beacon 
placed  on  Pearl  island,  it  would  always  be  safe  for  a  steamer. 
When  the  wind  is  from  the  east  or  north  the  bar  is  smooth ;  if 
from  the  south  and  southeast,  it  has  a  heavy  break  on  it,  and 
is  not  to  be  attempted  in  boats.  A  strong  current,  setting  to 
the  east  when  the  tide  is  flowing,  and  to  the  west  when  ebbing, 
may  drag  a  boat  or  ship  into  the  breakers.  If  one  is  doubtful 
of  his  longitude,  and  runs  east,  he  will  soon  see  the  land  at 
Timbwe  disappear  away  to  the  north  ;  and  coming  west  again, 
he  can  easily  make  out  East  Luabo  from  its  great  size,  and 
Kongone  follows  seven  miles  west.  The  Kongone  is  five  miles 
<5ast  of  the  Milambe ;  about  seven  miles  east  of  the  Kongone  is 
the  East  Luabo,  and  five  miles  east  still  is  the  Timbwe." 

It  is  remarkable  that  no  Portuguese  residences  were  found 
within  " eighty  miles  of  any  mouth  of  the  Zambesi"  Whether 
they  were  ignorant  of  them,  or,  as  they  now  claim,  had  their 
settlements  so  far  away  as  a  piece  of  strategy  in  the  interest  of  the 
slave  trade,  is  a  question  which  we  need  not  pause  to  discuss. 
We  have  the  testimony  of  the  Livingstone  expedition,  that  the 
only  human  beings  that  were  seen,  as  the  "  Pearl "  was  steered 
into  the  Kongone,  were  the  dusky  natives  leaping  from  their 
canoes  and  dashing  away  through  the  mangrove  thickets,  in 
evident  terror  of  the  white  man,  who,  if  known  to  them  at  all, 
was  only  associated  with  memories  of  brothers  or  sisters  or 
children  dragged  away  in  chains  to  harder  bondage  in  unknown 
lands. 

Some  of  the  party  on  board  tlie  "  Pearl "  were  unused  to 
wilderness  scenes  and  the  wonderful  exuberancy  of  nature  in 
tropical  lands.  They  seemed  to  have  entered  a  new  world. 
Everything  they  saw,  every  sound  tl)at  fell  upon  their  cars,  had 
all  the  freshness  of  novelty.  The  trees  and  the  plants  were  new  ; 
the  flowers  and  the  fruits,  the  bea.sts,  the  birds,  the  insects,  all 
were  strange  and  wonderful.  The  very  sky  itself  seemed  new, 
glowing  with  colors  or  sparkling  with  constellations  never  seen 
in  northern  climes.     The  arts  and  industries  of  other  nations 


THE   SOIL   OF   THE   DELTA.  325 

had  not  reclaimed  a  single  square  foot  of  territory  about  the 
mouths  of  this  river.  The  wilderness  came  down  to  meet  the 
wilderness.  An  untamed  land  and  an  untamed  sea.  The  roar 
of  wild  beasts  answered  the  roar  of  the  wild  waves.  The  mur- 
muring sea  responded  to  the  sighing  forest. 

The  first  twenty  miles  along  the  Kongone  they  passed  between 
rival  jungles  of  mangrove;  and  when  the  mangroves  were  left 
behind,  on  either  hand  there  were  vast  level  plains  of  rich  dark 
soil,  covered  with  gigantic  grasses  which  concealed  the  lairs  of 
wild  beasts  and  intimidated  evkn  the  most  expert  hunters. 
Here  and  there  the  odd-looking  huts  of  the  natives,  mounted 
on  "  stilts,"  were  seen  hid  away  in  bowers  of  bananas  and  cocoa 
palms.  The  occupants  of  these  little  cotes  were  as  indusiriousi 
as  they  could  be  expected  to  be,  and  frequently  they  had  about 
them  an  abundance  of  sweet  potatoes,  pumpkins,  tomatoes, 
cabbages,  onions,  peas,  corn  and  sugar  cane,  which  would  liavo 
encouraged  the  most  omnivorous  of  our  species  to  think  of  set- 
tlement. The  wonderful  soil  of  this  delta  can  hardly  have  been 
surpassed  by  even  the  marvellous  fertility  of  Egypt  in  the  days 
when  her  mysterious  river  patron  was  most  lavish  of  his  bless- 
ings. Rice  was  found  to  be  largely  cultivated,  but  the  peculiar 
adaptation  of  the  soil  to  the  sugar  cane  was  quite  apparent,  am  ;i 
the  members  of  the  expedition  were  convinced  that  this  rcgidii 
alone,  covering  an  area  of  eighty  miles  by  about  fifty,  properly 
handled,  would  supply  all  Europe  with  sugar. 

As  they  ascended  the  river  and  came  among  the  settlements 
of  the  })eople,  the  steamers  were  manifestly  the  strangest  specta- 
cles which  they  had  looked  on.  They  gathered  in  groups 
along  the  banks  to  gaze  upon  the  apparitions.  The  "  Pearl  " 
was  in  their  eyes  a  floating  village,  and  one  old  man  who  came 
on  board  wondered  if  it  "was  made  out  of  one  tree."  But 
either  human  nature  is  notably  alike  there  and  here,  or  those 
humble,  ignorant  creatures  have  been  apt  scholars  of  their 
white  masters ;  for  great  as  was  their  curiosity,  it  did  not  exceed 
their  cupidity.  They  were  as  full  of  questions  as  a  Bostonian, 
but  as  eager  for  a  trade  as  a  Connecticut  peddler.  Whenever 
the  ships  halted,  the  light,  swift  canoes  were  seen  shooting  off 
from  the  banks,  laden  with  every  kind  of  fruit  and  food  Avhieh 
the  land  afforded ;  and  as  they  steamed  off  again,  anxious  sellers 


326 


THE   ZAMBESI   CHANNEL. 


ran  excitedly  along  the  banks  holding  up  fowls  and  fruits  and 
baskets  of  rice,  meal  or  potatoes,  shouting  "Malonda!  malonda ! " 
^'  Things  for  sale !  things  for  sale!  "  and  those  in  the  canoes  fol- 
lowed bravely  along,  exhibiting  marvellous  skill  in  the  use  of 
their  short,  broad-bladed  paddles;  when  they  pleased  forcing 
tlieir  narrow  vessels  along  the  smooth  surface  almost  with  the 
velocity  of  arrows. 

The  deep  channel  of  the  Zambesi  is  quite  narrow  when  com- 
pared with  the  width  of  the  river ;  and  not  only  narrow,  but 
singularly  tortuous,  winding  along  among  the  countless  sand- 
banks, from  side  to  side  of  the  stream,  marked  only  by  the 
slight  characteristic  ripple  when  there  is  a  fresh  wind,  and  when 
all  is  calm,  by  a  peculiar  boiling  up  of  its  water  from  some 
action  below.  The  fact  that  man  is  an  expert  navigator  at  the 
sea  does  not  save  him  from  the  shame  of  confessing  himself 
miserably  at  sea  on  such  a  river.  Near  the  island  of  Simbo  the 
"  Pearl's  "  draught  was  found  to  be  too  great,  and  the  Living- 
stone party  were  under  the  necessity  of  parting  with  their  escort. 
The  goods  designed  for  the  expedition  were  placed  on  one  of  the 
beautiful  grassy  islands  about  forty  miles  from  the  bar,  and  the 
few  men  who  had  been  chosen  to  share  the  toils  and  honors  of 
the  ,de voted  missionary  explorer,  in  his  new  enterprise,  took 
leave  of  the  generous  captain  of  the  "  Pearl,"  and  also  of  their 
friend  Skead,  and  sat  down  looking  after  the  noble  ship  as  she 
steamed  away  toward  the  sea  again.  It  may  be  a  gloomy  pic- 
ture, that  a  great  ship  should  enter  an  unknown  harbor,  sail 
along  an  unknown  river  forty  miles,  between  forests  and  jun- 
gles, where  there  were  strange  birds  and  beasts  and  flowers  and 
trees,  and  people  stranger  and  wilder  than  all,  and  anchoring  in 
the  middle  of  the  river,  place  on  a  tiny,  fairy-looking  island  a 
few  men  and  stores,  and  leave  them  there.  But  it  is  just  what 
was  done.  The  enterprise  which  God  had  laid  upon  him  Avas 
one  in  which  he  was  of  necessity  to  be  peculiarly  independent. 
About  all  that  his  friends  in  England  could  do,  after  furnishing 
his  "outfit,"  was  just  this:  they  could  put  him  down  on  the 
borders  of  the  unknown  land.  There  can  hardly  be  imagined  a 
more  heroic  scene  than  the  landing  of  those  few  men  on  that 
little  island,  and  their  quiet,  manly  leave-taking  of  the  good 
bhip.     They  may  as  well  be  thought  of  as  being  left  alone  in 


DENIZENS  OF   THE  SHIRE 


THE   FIRST   WORK.  329 

the  mitlst  of  savages,  for  the  Portuguese  settlements  were  only  a 
burlesque  on  colonization ;  their  pretensions  were  so  poorly  sus- 
tained and  their  influence  so  corrupting,  that  it  would  have 
been  better,  on  many  grounds,  if  Livingstone  had  found  the 
natives  entirely  ignorant  of  white  people. 

It  was  the  18th  of  June  when  they  were  landed  on  the 
island.  The  first  thing  to  be  done  was  to  transport  the  stores 
of  the  expedition  to  Shupanga  and  Senna.  The  difficulty  and 
anxiety  of  this  work  was  greatly  increased  by  the  distressingly 
unsettled  state  of  the  country.  War  was  prevailing  all  around, 
but  they  were  favored  by  delightful  weather,  and  were  enabled 
to  rest  from  their  initiatory  labors  on  the  13th  of  August. 
During  these  months  it  was  of  course  necessary  for  a  portion  of 
the  party  to  remain  on  the  island.  From  their  little  kingdom, 
over  which  they  asserted  squatter  sovereignty,  they  could  easily 
see  the  large  game  of  the  neighborhood  moving  about  in  the 
forests  or  coming  down  to  the  water's  edge  ;  or  they  could  watch 
the  strange  manoeuvres  of  thousands  of  little  seed-birds,  which, 
like  flocks  of  other  small  birds  in  Africa,  are  wonderfully  expert 
in  the  performance  of  most  eccentric  "  gyrations  and  evolutions," 
separating  and  wheeling  into  columns  again  with  the  most 
thorough  military  precision.  There  were  all  sorts  of  living 
things  in  sight  except  human  beings.  The  tedium  of  long 
wilderness  journeys  by  laud  is  beguiled  by  many  little  perils 
and  difficulties  and  hunting  exploits;  but  our  party  felt  the 
unvarying  wilderness  becoming  dully  monotonous  before  they 
reached  Mazaro.  The  uninhabited  expanse  on  either  hand  was 
unquestionably  dreary,  and  the  sporting  of  the  water-fowls  be- 
came very  commonplace ;  even  their  interest  in  the  enormous 
monsters,  which  they  might  see  at  any  time,  became  objects  of 
contempt  as  they  became  familiar.  As  far  as  Mazaro  there 
were  found  no  traces  which  contradicted  the  claim  of  Dr. 
Livingstone  to  being  the  true  discoverer  of  the  mouth  of  the 
Zambesi.  There  was  no  trade  whatever  below  that  point.  All 
the  merchandise  of  Senna  and  Tete  was  conveyed  between  that 
point  and  a  small  stream  about  six  miles  distant,  on  men's 
heads.  On  that  little  stream  they  were  reshipped  and  found 
their  way  to  Quilimane  along  the  Kwakwa.  The  scenery  was 
better    about    Mazaro.       The   well-wooded    Shupanga    ridge 


330  EXCITEMENT  AT  MAZARO. 

stretched  off  to  the  left,  and  in  front  blue  hills  rise  dimly  far  in 
the  distance.  There  is  at  Mazaro  the  mouth  of  a  little  creek,  a 
few  yards  wide,  flowing  down  with  considerable  fall  into  the 
river,  its  entrance  almost  concealed  by  the  tall  grass  which 
grows  up  in  its  bed,  which  is  the  only  explanation  of  a  state- 
ment to  be  found  in  a  map  published  in  1851  by  the  Portu- 
guese "  Minister  of  Marine  and  the  Colonies,"  that  "  at  Mazaro 
the  Zambesi  is  one  mile  wide  and  flows  to  Quilimane."  The 
Zambesi  is  nowhere  nearer  to  Quilimane  than  it  is  at  Mazaro. 

This  little  post  was  in  great  excitement  when  Livingstone  and 
party  arrived.  There  had  been  a  serious  battle  raging  between 
the  Portuguese  and  the  people  of  a  half-caste  chief  named 
Mariano,  a  notoriously  inhuman  man,  who  has  by  his  rebellion 
and  outrageous  barbariti&s  thoroughly  incensed  the  Portuguese. 
The  scene  of  action  was  enveloped  in  a  dense  fog,  which  pre- 
vented the  party  from  hearing  or  seeing  anything  of  the  battle 
until  they  were  on  the  ground.  They  had  already  established 
friendly  relations  with  both  parties  to  this  quarrel,  and  were 
measurably  protected  by  the  charm  which  attaches  to  the  Eng- 
lish name.  Dr.  Livingstone  landed  without  the  least  hesitation 
to  salute  some  of  his  old  friends,  and  found  himself  in  the  sick- 
ening smell  and  confronting  the  horrible  spectacle  of  mutilated 
bodies  of  the  slain. 

The  governor  was  very  ill  of  fever  at  the  time,  and  Dr.  Liv- 
ingstone was  appealed  to  to  take  him  across  the  river  to  Shu- 
panga  ;  he  tried  in  vain  to  get  somebody  to  assist  him  to  the 
boat  with  the  sick  man,  but  no  one  would  volunteer  for  so 
dangerous  an  undertaking,  and  the  generous  visitor  would  not 
think  of  leaving  another  in  such  danger,  so  he  entered  the  hut 
alone,  and,  with  considerable  difficulty,  at  length  succeeded  in 
dragging  his  excellency  to  the  ship. 

The  Portuguese  are  even  weaker  in  actual  war  than  they 
would  seem  to  be  if  one  should  make  an  estimate  of  their  forces 
in  times  of  peace,  from  the  fact  that  many  of  those  whom  they 
must  depend  on  for  military  service  are  their  native  slaves,  who 
besides  entertaining  no  special  love  for  their  masters  have  fre- 
quently a  wholesome  regard  for  their  own  safety,  and  are  not 
valiantly  averse  to  securing  that  blessing  in  flight.  At  Mazaro 
the  Portuguese  were  on  double  duty ;  while  some  stood  fighting 


MARIANO'S   CRUELTY.  331 

with  great  bravery  against  the  enemy,  others  were  as  coolly 
shooting  at  their  own  slaves  who  were  retreating  to  the  river. 

It  may  be  noticed  that  Mariano,  who  was  proving  so  very 
annoying  to  the  Portuguese,  was  a  half-caste^  as  were  mast  of 
the  chiefs  who  have  most  seriously  opposed  the  authority  of  the 
colonists.  Indeed  this  class  of  men  are  the  scourge  of  the  whole 
country ;  they  are  the  keenest  slave-hunters,  and  most  blood- 
thirsty warriors,  the  most  atrocious  villains  generally,  who  are 
to  be  encountered.  A  gentleman  of  the  highest  standing  told 
Dr.  Livingstone  that  it  was  no  uncommon  event  for  his  family 
to  be  disturbed  while  at  dinner  by  a  slave  rushing  into  the  apart- 
ment, pursued  by  one  of  Mariano's  men,  spear  in  hand.  But 
the  people  who  have  pretended  to  colonize  m  such  a  community, 
on  the  false  basis  of  mixed  marriages  with  barbarous  tribes,  and 
encouraging  a  trade  so  demoralizing  as  that  which  has  distin- 
guished the  Portuguese  enterprises  in  Africa,  can  hardly  be  sur- 
prised or  complain  that  they  have  such  a  harvest  of  trouble 
and  failure.  The  folly  of  the  Portuguese  method  was  abun- 
dantly manifested  by  the  eagerness  with  which  the  natives  ex- 
tended their  most  cordial  hospitalities  to  the  English  expedition, 
which  they  very  quickly  came  to  understand  as  representing  a 
very  different  method  and  superior  design.  Even  the  rebels 
under  Mariano,  on  finding  that  Dr.  Livingstone  and  his  party 
were  Englishmen,  not  seeking  slaves,  but  having  at  heart  the 
real  improvement  of  the  cmintry  and  the  elevation  of  the  people, 
received  them  with  shouts  of  joy  and  welcome. 

The  Maruru,  who  occupy  the  country  around  Mazaro,  like 
the  people  generally  who  have  had  contact  with  white  people 
only  in  the  Lisbon  subjects,  have  become  very  distrustful,  as 
well  as  covetous  ;  they  required  to  be  paid  for  all  services,  and 
wanted  their  pay  in  advance  ;  and  the  travellers  naturally  sus- 
pected that  the  favorite  canoe-song  of  the  men — the  chorus  of 
which  was,  "Thou  art  slippery,  slippery,  truly" — was  intended 
to  be  a  witty  explanation  of  their  demands  for  advance  pay. 

The  white  settlers  on  the  west  side  of  the  Zambesi  were  hardly 
happier  than  the  people  of  the  other  bank.  The  Zulus,  or 
Laudeens,  lord  it  there,  and  the  merchants  of  Senna  are  under 
the  necessity  of  paying  dearly  for  peace  or  forfeiting  everything 
by  war ;  for  never  did  landlord  keep  a  sharper  eye  on  tenants 


332  THE  ZULUS. 

than  these  dusky  masters  of  the  laud  keep  on  the  Portuguese 
colonists  who  assert  a  powerless  claim  to  it.  Regularly  every 
year  they  visit  Shupanga  and  Senna  in  force,  prepared  to  receive 
or  take  by  force  their  extortionate  tribute.  It  should  not,  how- 
ever, be  understood  that  the  Zulus  are  the  meanest  people  in  the 
world,  because  they  improve  the  opportunity  for  securing  some 
return  for  the  accommodation  of  residence  on  their  shores,  which 
strangers  think  of  value  enough  to  pay  for.  Even  according  to 
the  strictest  equity,  it  is  questionable  whether  those  who,  going 
from  a  Christian  land,  settle  among  heathen,  with  such  objects 
and  principles  as  distinguish  the  emissaries  of  Portugal,  should 
be  better  treated.  There  is,  in  reality,  very  much  to  admire  in 
the  Zulu  character.  They  belong  to  the  great  Caifre  familj', 
and  stand  complimented  in  history  with  the  remarkable  record, 
"  History  does  not  present  another  instance  in  which  so  much 
security  of  life  and  property  has  been  enjoyed  as  has  been  ex- 
perienced during  the  whole  period  of  English  occupation  of 
Natal  by  ten  tliousand  colonists  in  the  midst  of  one  hundred 
thousand  Zulus."  They  are  a  good-humored,  generous  and  in- 
dependent people.  Unlike  many  Africans  who  envy  the  white 
skins  of  the  foreigners,  these  manly  individuals  are  proud  of 
their  dark  hue,  and  if  asked,  "  AVhat  is  the  finest  complexion?" 
reply  with  ready  complacency,  "  Like  my  own,  black,  with  a 
little  red."  They  love  to  number  among  the  excellencies  of 
their  king,  that  "  he  cliooses  to  be  black,"  "  he  might  have  been 
white,  but  would  not."  The  hair  and  features  of  the  Zulus 
might  easily  confound  them  with  the  negro  tribes,  but  the  more 
careful  view  detects  the  "  lofty  forehead,  the  prominent  nose 
and  high  cheek-bones,"  and  a  certain  dignity  of  countenance 
which  decide  their  claims  to  superior  consideration.  It  is  hardly 
wonderful  that  such  a  life  as  they  lead,  in  the  midst  of  abun- 
dance of  food,  which  may  be  had  for  the  taking  it — fruit,  grain, 
and  game  in  abundance — should  encourage  a  carelessness  as  to 
the  future.  And  if  we  add  to  this  the  consideration  that  under 
tlic  peculiar  construction  of  their  government  every  man's  life 
is  in  the  hands  of  tiic  king,  it  is  not  astonishing  that  an  audience 
of  these  people  thought  an  address  from  the  words,  "  Take  no 
thought  for  the  morrow,"  entirely  superfluous,  since  they  had 
"never  done  such  a  thing,  nor  ever  expected  to."     They,  as  in- 


A   ZULU   LAWYER.  335 

<ieed  do  all  the  Caffre  tribes,  manifest  quite  surprising  intelli- 
gence, and  frequently  display  powers  of  Socratic  argument  which 
would  astonish  some  of  our  knights  of  the  green  bag.  In  illus- 
tration of  this  talent,  on  one  occasion,  "  some  individuals  had 
been  detected  in  eating  an  ox,  and  the  owner  brought  them  be- 
fore a  council  demanding  payment  for  the  animal.  The  defence 
was  that  they  had  not  killed  the  animal,  but  found  it  dying  of 
a  wound  inflicted  by  another  animal.  When  the  defence  was 
ended,  an  old  gentleman  of  the  prosecution  began  in  true  lawyer 
fashion  to  examine  the  previous  speaker  : 

"  Q,.  '  Does  an  ox-tail  grow  up,  or  down,  or  sideways  ? ' 

"A.  *  Downward.' 

"  Q.  '  Do  the  horns  of  an  ox  grow  up,  down,  or  sideways  ?  * 

"A.  ^Upward.' 

"  Q.  '  If  an  ox  gores  another,  does  he  not  lower  his  head  and 
gore  upward  ? ' 

«A.  'Yes.' 

"  Q.  '  Could  he  gore  downward  ? 

"A.  'No.' 

"  The  wily  interrogator  then  forced  the  witness  to  examine 
the  wound  which  he  said  was  inflicted  by  an  ox,  and  admit  that 
the  beast  had  been  stabbed  and  not  gored." 

Another  element  of  character  distinguishes  them,  and  one 
which  is,  if  possible,  more  remarkable  among  savages,  who  are 
generally  serious  folks.  They  are  very  fond  of  joking,  and 
quite  practical  in  them  sometimes.  A  resident  mentions  that  a 
lad  in  his  service  once  took  great  pains  to  tell  his  fellow-country- 
men that  the  English  were  bound  by  etiquette  to  kneel  down 
and  kiss  the  ground  at  a  certain  distance  from  the  house.  The 
natives,  born  and  bred  in  a  system  of  etiquette  equal  to  that  of 
any  court  in  Europe,  unhesitatingly  obeyed,  while  the  lad  stood 
by  superintending  the  joke  with  great  delight.  It  was  pleasant 
to  observe,  too,  that  when  the  trick  was  at  last  found  out  none 
enjoyed  it  more  than  those  who  had  fallen  into  the  snare. 

In  addition  to  all  their  other  virtues,  they  are  essentially 
hospitable,  and  no  one  needs  to  carry  supplies  who  travels  through 
their  country,  except  in  localities  where  they  may  have  been 
seduced  to  more  selfish  customs  by  intercourse  with  Portuguese 
traders.     Such  a  digression  in  the  interest  of  Zulu  reputation 


336  SHUPANGA. 

will  be  pardoned,  as  it  is  of  quite  as  much  importance  that  we 
have  just  impressions  of  the  actors  in  any  of  the  affairs  of  real 
life  in  colonial  regions  as  it  is  that  we  have  a  simple  record  of 
incidents. 

A  single,  one-storied  house  at  Shupanga,  occupying  the  pret- 
tiest site  on  the  river,  engrossed  the  attention  of  the  expedition. 
It  is  a  stone  house ;  there  is  a  splendid  sloping  lawn  in  front 
with  a  fine  mango  orchard  at  its  southern  end ;  the  lawn  extends 
down  to  the  water's  edge,  and  the  Zambesi,  widening  grandly, 
flows  softly  by,  and  there  are  little  green  islands  reposing  on  its 
sunny,  tranquil  bosom.  If  you  look  northward,  beyond  the 
house,  there  are — there  were  then — forests  of  tropical  trees,  and 
beyond  the  forests  the  massive  mountains  of  Morumbwa,  tower- 
ing amidst  white  clouds,  and  farther  still  distant  hills  are  dimly 
defined  against  the  blue  horizon.  The  surveying  expedition  of 
Captain  Owen  rested  at  the  "Shupanga  house,"  in  1826,  and 
buried  one  of  their  number  under  a  noble  baobab  tree.  The 
grave  of  an  explorer,  far  away  in  a  wilderness  land,  suggested 
very  solemn  thoughts  to  the  serious  men  and  the  devoted  wo- 
men who  stood  by  it.  They  may  have  wondered  whether  it 
■would  be  so,  but  they  did  not  know  that  the  shadow  of  that 
baobab  tree  would  yet  become  a  doubly  sacred  spot  to  them  ; 
they  did  not  know  that  of  their  number  there  should  be  left 
companion  dust  for  that  which  years  ago  had  been  laid  there 
with  sorrow  and  left  in  loneliness. 

After  a  few  days,  which  were  improved  in  wooding  up  with 
African  ebony  and  lignum-vitic,  the  expedition  advanced  toward 
Tete.  From  Shupanga  to  Senna  they  suffered  great  annoyance 
from  the  seeming  conspiracy  of  sand  and  stupidity — sand  in  the 
river  and  stupidity  in  the  black  pilot.  This  interesting  indi- 
vidual was  named  John  Scissors,  a  serf.  Every  now  and  then 
he  ran  the  "Ma  Robert"  aground.  The  inconvenience  and  delay 
Avere  atoned  for  in  some  measure,  for  a  time,  by  the  ludicrous 
simplicity  of  his  aggrieved  manner  as  he  ventured  the  very  un- 
questionable assertion,  "Oh,  this  is  not  the  way  ;  it  is  back 
yonder !  "  But  even  the  charm  of  folly  is  easily  exhausted,  and 
we  find  it  hard  to  laugh  at  stupidity  which  ])uts  ns  to  much 
trouble,  however  grotesquely  it  may  express  itself,  and  it  is  no 
wonder  that  the  party  f-'lt  that  their  dull  Scissors  was  an  unmit- 


ZUI.IT   LAWYER 


RECEPTION   AT   SENNA.  339 

igated  affliction,  to  say  the  least  of  it  Besides  this  annoyance, 
they  had  already  found  their  precious  steamer  quite  defective  in 
many  respects.  The  furnaces  were  badly  constructed,  and  she 
moved  along  so  slowly  and  heavily  that  the  natives  with  their 
canoes  would  pass  easily  by  her,  and  looked  back  in  wonder 
and  pity  on  the  slow  puffing  "  Asthmatic,"  as  she  came  to  bo 
called. 

At  Senna  they  received  a  most  friendly  reception.'  They 
were,  however,  under  the  necessity  of  landing  at  Nyamka,  a 
small  hamlet  of  rocks  six  miles  below,  and  walking  up  to  the 
village,  as  the  steamer  could  not  go  up  the  channel  along  which 
Senna  stands.  From  the  hamlet  they  walked  along  a  narro\^'^ 
winding  path  in  Indian  file,  through  a  succession  of  gardens  and 
patches  of  thorny  acacias.  The  clouds  veiled  the  sun  softly, 
and  the  cool  morning  air  seemed  peculiarly  fitted  for  the  sweet, 
strange  songs  which  the  little  birds  poured  forth  in  their  charm- 
ing foreign  accent.  There  were  many  natives  passing  to  and 
fro — the  women  with  hoes  going  to  their  work,  but  the  men  all 
carried  spears  or  bows  and  arrows,  except  those  who  had  old 
Tower  muskets.  Senna  looked  no  more  inviting  for  the  two 
years  of  wear  and  neglect  and  oppression  and  war — a.  dull, 
dilapidated  place,  where  "  one  is  sure  to  take  fever  the  second 
day."  But  the  presence  of  a  single  really  generous  and  hosj)ita- 
ble  man,  claiming  the  miserable  village  as  his  native  place, 
measurably  raleemed  it  in  the  estimation  of  Englishmen  who 
had  been  trained  to  appreciate  those  nobler  qualities  which  so 
seldom  distinguished  the  claimants  of  the  country.  Senhor  11. 
A.  Ferraro's  benevolence  was  unbounded.  No  stranger,  how- 
ever black,  was  turned  away  from  his  door  hungry  or  weary. 
He  had  long  been  the  almoner  of  the  people  in  time  of  famine. 
There  was  found  a  bit  of  history  in  connection  with  him  which 
illustrates  the  Lisbon  policy  as  hardly  kinder  to  its  own  people 
than  to  those  whom  they  are  taught  to  oppress.  The  father  of 
Senhor  Ferraro  had  been  the  Portuguese  Governor  of  Senna, 
and  being  a  man  of  superior  attainments  and  untarnished  honor, 
ajcquired  by  the  most  unquestionable  methods  very  large  pos- 
sessions in  land  south  of  the  village.  The  "  home "  govern- 
ment, asserting  that  it  would  never  do  for  an  individual  to 
possess  more  land  than  the  crown  of  Portugal,  took  possession 


340  ARRIVAL   AT   TETE. 

of  his  estate  and  cut  it  up  into  small  tracts  and  apportioned  it 
to  settlers.  The  son,  though  very  wealthy,  held  only  an  insig- 
nificant portion  of  his  rightful  estate.  This  gentleman,  in 
common  with  other  prominent  Portuguese  gentlemen  of  the 
town,  welcomed  the  expedition,  and  all  of  them  freely  compli- 
mented Dr.  Livingstone  on  his  discovery  of  the  true  mouth  of 
the  noble  river  so  near  which  they  had  spent  their  lives  in 
ignorance  of  the  error  which  their  government  had  ignorantly  or 
wilfully  concealed. 

From  Senna  the  expedition  ascended  as  far  as  Tete  without 
special  incident — their  object  being  to  reach  that  spot  as  speedily 
as  possible — and  anchoi'ed  their  craft  in  front  of  that  frontier 
village  on  the  8th  of  September.  The  Makololo  were  full  of 
joy  at  the  return  of  their  "  father."  They  hailed  him  with 
expressions  of  unbounded  delight.  Five  of  their  head  men 
came  on  board  the  steamer  and  listened  in  quiet  sorrow  to  the 
story  of  poor  Sekwebu's  death.  "  Men  die  in  any  country," 
they  said,  and  then  told  how  thirty  of  their  own  number  had 
gone  with  the  Baromo  since  they  parted  with  Dr.  Livingstone. 
Two  years  had  elapsed  since  that  parting.  They  had  waited 
patiently  and  confidently  for  the  return  of  their  friend.  They 
had  not  been  provided  for  by  the  Portuguese  government,  as 
had  been  promised  Dr.  Livingstone,  and  their  sufferings  would 
have  been  even  more  severe  than  they  were  but  for  the  personal 
kindness  of  Major  Sicard.  But  the  waiting  was  over  now,  and 
they  pressed  about  their  tried  friend  with  expressions  of  love 
which  cheered  his  heart.  They  quickly  carried  his  goods  to  the 
government  house,  so  heartily  tendered  by  the  generous  com- 
mandant, and  left,  him  for  the  time  only  when  they  were  sure 
that  they  could  bestow  no  additional  attention.  There  was  a 
wealth  of  trust  and  affection  in  their  simple  "  good-night,"  and 
tlie  expression,  "  We  will  sleep  to-night,"  more  than  repaid  the 
large-hearted,  self-sacrificing  friend  of  the  race  for  all  his  toil 
and  anxiety  in  coming  back  to  them. 

All  Africa,  weary  and  neglecte<l,  was  longing  for  repose. 
It  must  have  been  a  sweet  thought  that  he  was  the  pioneer 
of  that  precious  word  which  should  give  sweet  sleep,  rest  of 
epirit,  to  the  millions  of  that  neglected  continent. 


CHAPTER   XYII. 

THE    KEBRABASA    RAPIDS. 

The  Journey  to  the  Kebrabosa — Kebrabasa  Range — General  Appearance — 
Breadth — Pressure  of  Water — Portuguese  Ignorance— Banyai  Impositions — 
"  Dreadful  Rough  "  a  Night — Camp  Scenes — A  Camp  Story — The  Morning — ■ 
Climbing  Still—Sleep  of  Exhaustion— Makololo  Distrust— Mount  Morumbwa 
— A  Perpetual  Barrier — Return  to  Tete— Scenes  in  Tete — Superstition — The 
Teaching  of  Nature — Holiness — Christmas  in  Africa — The  Climax  of  Absurdi- 
ties— The  Rainy  Season — The  Portuguese  Recourse — A  Serious  Matter — The 
Help  for  Fever— The  Shire. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  in  descending  the  Zambesi,  in 
1856,  Dr.  Livingstone  turned  southward  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  hills,  and  only  came  to  the  river  again  at  Tete.  He  had 
not,  therefore,  seen  the  Kebrabasa  rapids,  and  such  were  the 
reports  concerning  them  that  he  shared  fully  the  curiosity  of 
his  companions,  and  they  resolved  to  take  advantage  of  the 
peculiarly  favorable  opportunity  of  the  Zambesi  being  unusually 
low  to  ascertain  their  character  while  uncovered  by  water.  As 
fiir  as  Panda-Moqua,  about  forty  miles  above  Tete,  they  sailed 
along  quite  comfortably,  and  looked  with  admiration  on  the 
splendidly-wooded  hills  which  greeted  the  eye  on  either  bank. 
The  rapids,  which  have  derived  their  name — which  signifies 
"  finish,  or  break  the  service  " — from  the  difficulty  experienced 
in  carrying  all  articles  of  trade  around  them,  over  land,  to 
Chicova,  are  in  the  rnidst  of  the  lofty  Kebrabasa  range,  which 
consists  chiefly  of  conical  hills  covered  with  scraggy  trees. 
"  This  range  crosses  the  Zambesi  nearly  at  right  angles,  and 
confines  it  within  a  narrow,  rough,  and  rocky  dell  of  about  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  in  breadth,  over  which  large  masses  of  rock 
are  huddled  in  indescribable  confusion.  The  chief  rock  is 
syenite,  some  portions  of  which  have  a  beautiful  blue  tinge  like 
lapus  lazuli  diffused  through  them ;  others  are  gray.  Blocks  of 
granite  also  abound,  of  a  pinkish  tinge ;  and  these,  with  meta- 
morphic  rocks,  contorted,  twisted,  and  thrown  into  every  con- 


342  THE   KEBEABASA. 

ceivable  position,  afford  a  picture  of  dislocation  or  unconforma- 
bility  Avliich  would  gladden  a  geological  lecturer's  heart ;  but  at 
high  flood  this  rough  channel  is  all  smoothed  over,  and  it  then 
conforms  well  with  the  river  below  it,  which  is  half  a  mile  wide. 
In  the  dry  season  the  stream  runs  at  the  bottom  of  a  narrow 
and  deep  groove,  whose  sides  are  polished  and  fluted  by  the 
boiling  action  of  the  water  in  flood,  like  the  rims  of  ancient 
Eastern  wells  by  the  draw-ropes.  The  breadth  of  the  groove  is 
often  not  more  than  from  forty  to  sixty  yards,  and  it  has  some 
sharp  turnings,  double  channels,  and  little  cataracts  in  it.  The 
masts  of  the  '  Ma  Robert,'  though  some  thirty  feet  high,  did  not 
reach  the  level  of  the  flood-channel  above,  and  the  man  in  the 
chains  sung  out,  '  No  bottom  at  ten  fathoms.'  Huge  pot-holes, 
as  large  as  draw-wells,  had  been  worn  in  the  sides,  and  were  so 
deep  that  in  some  instances,  when  protected  from  the  sun  by 
overhanging  boulders,  the  water  in  them  was  quite  cool.  Some 
of  these  holes  had  been  worn  right  through,  and  only  the  side 
next  the  rock  remained ;  while  the  sides  of  the  groove  of  the 
flood-channel  were  polished  as  smooth  as  if  they  had  gone 
through  granite-mills.  The  pressure  of  the  water  must  be 
enormous  to  produce  this  polish.  It  had  wedged  round  pebbles 
into  chinks  and  crannies  of  the  rocks  so  firmly  that,  though 
they  looked  quite  loose,  they  could  not  l>e  removed  except  with 
a  hammer.  It  is  strange  that  the  Portuguese  had  continued  so 
long  in  comparative  ignorance  of  an  object  of  so  much  interest 
which  was  so  near  them.  All  the  information  which  our  friends 
obtained  from  these  remarkable  colonists  was  that  '  three  or 
four  detached  rocks  jutted  out  into  the  river  at  Kebrabasa, 
which,  though  dangerous  to  the  cumbersome  native  canoes, 
could  be  easily  passed  by  a  steamer ;  and  timt  if  one  or  tMO  of 
these  obstructions  were  blasted  away  by  gunpowder  there  would 
be  no  further  difficulty.' "  But  the  painful  exploration  of  several 
miles  convinceil  the  party  that  they  must  prepare  for  more 
serious  work  than  they  had  anticipated ;  that,  in  fact,  the  mere 
examination  of  the  rapids  was  a  more  considerable  task  than 
their  removal  had  been  supposed  to  be.  They  therefore  re- 
turned to  the  boat  and  went  down  the  river  for  fresh  supplies. 
When  they  cast  anchor  a  second  time  at  the  foot  of  the  hills, 
tliey  were  prepared  for  a  serious  survey  of  the  region.     It  waij 


BANYAI   IMPOSITIONS.  343 

late  in  the  afternoon  of  November  24th.  They  were  indepen- 
dent of  the  surly  tribes  who,  at  even  so  short  a  distance,  lived 
aloug  the  banks  and  manifested  an  impudent  contempt  for  the 
Portuguese  authority.  Canoe  men  never  sleep  in  their  canoes 
at  night,  but  build  their  fires  on  the  shore,  and  the  suspicions 
of  these  dwellers  were  excited  by  the  uncommon  action  of  the 
newcomers,  and  they  hailed  them  with,  "  Why  don't  you  come 
on  shore  like  other  people?"  The  Makololo,  who  felt  as 
independent  as  their  interrogators,  replied,  "We  are  held 
to  the  bottom  with  iron ;  you  may  see  we  are  not  like  your 
Bozunga." 

It  was  no  misfortune  to  be  denied  the  company  of  these 
Banyai.  On  their  account  as  much  as  anything  else  Dr.  Liv- 
ingstone had  felt  it  important  to  avoid  the  river,  as  he  was 
approaching  Tete,  in  his  former  expedition.  Their  impositions 
on  travellers  are  frequently  rather  severe  tests  of  even  Christian 
patience,  and  our  travellers  were  glad  to  avoid  them.  It  is 
pleasant  to  give  a  present,  but  that  pleasure  the  Banyai  usually 
deny  to  strangers  by  making  it  a  fine,  and  demanding  it  in 
such  a  supercilious  way  that  only  a  sorely-cowed  trader  could 
bear  it.  They  often  refuse  to  touch  what  is  offered — throw 
it  down  and  leave  it — sneer  at  the  trader's  slaves,  and  refuse 
a  passage  until  the  tribute  is  raised  to  the  utmost  extent  of  his 
means. 

The  morning  came,  clear  and  pleasant,  and  tlie  party  enjoyed 
for  a  time  quite  a  delightful  shade  from  the  hills  on  their 
right ;  "  but  before  long  the  path  grew  frightfully  rough,  and 
the  hills  no  longer  shielded  them  from  the  blazing  sun."  The 
assurances  of  the  guide  that  they  were  in  "  the  way "  seemed 
like  mockery;  the  thought  of  a  path  in  connection  with  the 
patches  of  yielding  sand  and  the  huge  rocks  over  which  they 
were  clambering  so  painfully  was  ridiculous ;  the  rocks  are  dis- 
located and  twisted  in  every  direction  ;  it  was  "  confusion  worse 
confounded ; "  it  may  have  seemed  to  them  confounded  confusion. 
The  first  day's  march  did  not  exceed  four  miles !  and  all  hands 
were  thoroughly  satisfied  with  themselves,  and  willing  to  stop 
when  the  hour  to  halt  arrived. 

A  few  inhabitants,  belonging  to  a  small  tribe  called  Badema, 
had  found  homes  in  this  singularly  inhospitable  region,  and 


344  NIGHT   IN   THE   HILLS. 

their  industry  had  converted  the  few  available  hollows  into 
miniature  corn  and  cotton  fields,  and  they  have  the  art  of  grow- 
ing their  "  mapisa  (holcus  sorgum)  "  on  the  steep  slopes  of  the 
mountains.  The  deep  ravines  are  brought  into  service  as  traps 
for  zebras,  antelopes  and  other  animals,  by  stretching  strong 
nets  made  of  baobab  bark  across  their  narrow  entrances.  Being 
only  the  remnant  of  a  tribe,  they  are  greatly  oppressed  by  their 
stronger  neighbors,  and  these  industrious  people  need  to  call  in 
strategy  to  aid  them  in  keeping  what  they  have,  and  they  have 
fallen  upon  the  plan  of  converting  the  most  hidden  cavities  of 
the  rocks  into  stone  houses ;  and  having  thus  eluded  the  rapac- 
ity of  their  human  foes  they  confide  in  the  bitter  bark  in  which 
they  wrap  their  treasures  to  protect  them  against  the  fastidious 
mice  and  monkeys,  who  would  but  for  this  protection  fatten  on 
their  extremity.  When  the  travellers  entered  their  domains 
they  had  no  hesitation  in  saying  very  positively  that  they  had 
nothing,  and  the  scanty  store  to  be  found  in  their  homes  seemed 
to  confirm  their  statement.  There  was  no  objection  made  to 
their  sleeping  under  the  trees,  and  neither  men  nor  beasts  dis- 
turbed the  quiet  of  their  slumbers,  though  there  were  as  villan- 
ous  beasts  about  them  as  there  are  anywhere.  Just  across  the 
river  from  them,  a  leopard  boldly  assailed  a  company  of  natives 
sitting  together  in  the  evening  and  killed  one  of  their  number. 
Such  an  occurrence  in  one's  immediate  neighborhood  could  but 
suggest  serious  thoughts,  and  naturally  seasoned  their  conver- 
sation more  or  less  with  the  "  leopard."  They  knew  very  well 
that  this  cruel  and  cunning  enemy  might  be  quite  near  them ; 
and  :though  they  were  not  timid  men,  those  of  them  at  least  who 
were  unused  to  African  experiences  should  not  account  them- 
selves slandered  if  we  improve  the  opportunity  to  guess  that 
they  were  as  deeply  interested  in  Isaiah  xi.  6  ascertain  Teutonic 
travellers  when  half  drowned  by  an  African  rain-storm  were  in 
Genesis  ix.  11,  16.  While  the  assaults  of  wild  animals  on  the 
men  themselves,  in  whom  we  are  more  interested,  seem  to  give 
us  a  delight  which  we  are  asliamod  to  confess,  as  is  proven  by 
our  loss  of  interest  in  a  hero  who  is  not  half  killed  now  and  then, 
it  ought  to  be  considered  almost  as  Christian  to  be  interested 
in  the  combats  of  these  ferocious  disputants  of  forest  rights  with 
each  otlier.     We  do  not  need  to  carrv  the  reader  far  from  the 


A  CAMP-FIBE  STORY.  347 

verj''  spot  where  the  weary  explorers  are  sleeping  to  introduce 
him  to  the  leopard  in  the  full  indulgence  of  his  most  belligerent 
ferocity.  The  narrators  of  the  story  were  making  painful  progress 
along  what  they  facetiously  tried  to  call  a  road,  in  the  midst  of 
the  most  luxurious  vegetation,  when  they  were  startled  by  a 
most  extraordinary  noise  proceeding  from  a  little  glade  on  their 
right.  The  singular  sound  resembled  the  confused  grunting  of 
a  pig,  and  tiie  suppressed  growling  of  a  tiger,  and  the  worrying 
noise  of  a  dog,  interrupted  with  loud  squeakings,  snarlings  and 
sudden  roars;  besides  which  they  could  hear  a  tearing  and 
struggling,  a  rustling  of  the  grass  and  a  crackling  of  the  twigs, 
as  though  some  large  animals  were  rolling  and  tumbling  about 
in  a  violent  manner.  Guns  in  hand,  the  excited  party  crept 
stealthily  along  the  little  glade,  until  at  its  termination,  amidst 
an  almost  impenetrable  walling  in  and  arching  over  of  umbrag- 
eous vegetation,  they  saw  two  large  animals  struggling  and 
plunging,  and  teai'ing  each  other,  and  rolling  over  and  over, 
locked  together  in  deadly  combat.  The  approach  of  the  strangers 
was  unnoticed  by  the  enraged  combatants,  whicii  seemed  obliv- 
ious of  all  else  in  their  fierce  conflict.  One  of  these  furious 
animals  was  soon  discovered  to  be  a  large  leopard  ;  all  that  they 
could  fix  distinctly  of  the  other  was  a  long  horn-shaped  head, 
tremendous  claws,  a  huge  bushy  tail  and  a  coat  of  shaggy  fur. 
The  fury  of  the  contest  was  dreadful,  and  they  stood  riveted 
in  wonder ;  before  long,  however,  it  was  apparent  that  whatever 
his  antagonist  was  the  leopard  must  prove  victorious ;  and  as 
his  huge  fangs  presently  became  firmly  fixed  in  the  other's  throat 
he  succeeded  in  pinioning  him  fast  to  the  ground.  They  saw 
that  this  strange  combat  had  been  between  a  leopard  and  a 
powerful  ant-bear ;  and  even  while  the  witnesses  levelled  their 
rifles  in  cautious  consideration  of  themselves,  they  were  con- 
strained to  admire  the  splendid  dignity  with  which  the  brute 
arose  above  his  vanquished  foe  and  looked  about  him,  and  they 
almost  grieved  to  mingle  with  the  triumphant  roar  which  re- 
sounded through  the  forests  the  harsher  and  deadlier  voices  of 
their  trusty  rifles. 

But  not  only  were  stories  of  ferocious  beasts  incorporated  with 
star-gazing,  geographical  discussions,  and  geological  examina- 
tions into  the  camp-fire  life  of  the  party  in  which  such  varied 


348  THE  MORNIXG. 

characters  were  associated :  there  were  strange  stories  of  strange 
people :  of  a  strange  race  of  men  only  three  feet  high,  whom  the 
native  narrator  "  had  seen "  in  the  interior  of  the  continent ; 
people  with  horns  growing  out  of  their  heads,  and  dwelling  in  a 
great  town  where  there  was  plenty  of  food ;  stories  stoutly  main- 
tained against  the  scorn  of  the  Makololo,  who  counted  their  own 
manly  proportions  proof  conclusive  that  the  interior  produced 
better  men  than  dwarfs.  But  all  places  and  times  are  prolific 
of  men  who  are  either  endowed  with  a  singular  facility  of  im- 
personation or  strongly  impressed  with  a  supposed  identity  with 
the  heroes  of  those  fabulous  stories  which  have  beguiled  the 
leisure  of  men  for  ages ;  and  it  may  be  supposed  an  honest  mis- 
take or  an  innocent  vanity  in  the  poor  slave  of  a  Portuguese 
master  to  confound  himself  with  the  hero  of  adventures  older 
in  the  traditions  of  Africa  than  the  time  of  Herodotus. 

The  morning  invariably  brought  realities  M'hich  chased  away 
the  pleasantest  dreams,  and  convinced  them  if  not  of  the  truth 
certainly  of  the  possibility  of  the  strangest  adventures.  At  one 
time  the  whole  party  were  fording  a  tributary  of  the  Zambesi, 
holding  their  guns  and  baggage  above  their  heads  and  thoroughly 
soaked  to  their  arm-pits,  doubting  whether  they  could  produce 
a  satisfactory  argument  against  the  importunities  of  a  hungry 
crocodile,  should  one  propose  to  dine  on  M'hite  man,  just  once. 
Another  time  they  were  climbiiSg  an  almost  scorching  rock  under 
the  unrelenting  sunrays,  or  watching  one  of  their  number  crawl- 
ing along  the  glossy  black  rocks  toward  a  sleei)ing  hippopotamus. 
At  length  they  reached  the  foot  of  Chipereziwa,  whose  perpen- 
dicular rocky  sides,  clothed  with  many-colored  lichens,  their 
Portuguese  companions  assured  them  marked  the  last  obstruc- 
tions to  navigation.  But  they  had  hardly  commenced  their 
backward  journey,  thinking  over  what  they  had  seen  and  more 
impressed  with  the  difficulty  than  dignity  of  Kebrabasa,  M^hen 
two  natives,  who  came  to  their  camp  at  night,  assured  them 
that  there  was  still  in  front  of  them  a  cataract  called  Morumbwa. 
Drs.  Livingstone  and  Kirk  immediately  decided  to  take  with 
them  three  of  the  Makololo  and  go  forward  until  they  settled 
the  question  for  themselves,  and  they  were  ever  afterward  willing 
to  confess  that  it  was  as  tough  a  bit  of  travel  as  they  ever  had 
in  Africa.     After  some  painful  marching  the  Badema  guides  re- 


SLEEP  OT  Exhaustion.  349 

fused  to  go  further ;  "  the  Banyai,"  they  said,  "  would  be  angry 
if  they  showed  white  men  the  country ;  and  there  was  besides 
no  practicable  approach  to  the  spot,  neither  elephant,  nor  hippo- 
potamus, nor  even  a  crocodile  could  reach  the  cataract."  The 
slopes  of  the  mountains  on  each  side  of  the  river,  now  not  three 
hundred  yards  wide,  and  without  the  flattish  flood-channel  and 
groove,  were  more  than  three  thousand  feet  from  the  sky-line 
down,  and  were  covered  either  with  dense  thornbush  or  huge 
black  boulders ;  this  deep  trough-like  shape  caused  the  sun's  rays 
to  converge  as  into  a  focus,  making  the  surface  so  hot  that  the 
soles  of  the  feet  of  the  Makololo  became  blistered.  Around, 
and  up  and  down,  the  party  clambered  among  these  heated 
blocks,  at  a  pace  not  exceeding  a  mile  an  hour ;  the  strain  upon 
the  muscles  in  jumping  from  crag  to  boulder,  and  wriggling 
round  projections,  took  an  enormous  deal  out  of  them,  and  they 
were  often  glad  to  cower  in  the  shadoAV  formed  by  one  rock 
overhanging  and  resting  on  another ;  the  shelter  induced  the 
peculiarly  strong  and  overpowering  inclination  to  sleep  which 
too  much  sun  sometimes  causes.  This  sleep  is  curative  of  what 
may  be  incipient  sunstroke ;  in  its  first  gentle  touches  it  caused 
the  dream  to  flit  over  the  boiling  brain  that  they  had  become 
lunatics  and  had  been  sworn  in  as  members  of  the  Alpine  Club ; 
and  then  it  became  so  heavy  that  it  made  them  feel  as  if  a  por- 
tion of  existence  had  been  cut  out  from  their  lives.  The  sun 
is  excessively  hot,  and  feels  sharp  in  Africa ;  but,  probai)ly  from 
the  greater  dryness  of  the  atmosphere,  we  never  heard  of  a  single 
case  of  sunstroke,  so  common  in  India.  The  Makololo  told 
Dr.  Livingstone  they  "always  thought  he  had  a  heart,  but  now 
they  believed  he  had  none,"  and  tried  to  persuade  Dr.  Kirk  to 
return,  on  the  ground  that  it  must  be  evident  that,  in  attempt- 
ing to  go  where  no  living  foot  could  tread,  his  leader  had  given 
unmistakable  signs  of  having  gone  mad.  All  their  efforts  of 
persuasion,  however,  were  lost  upon  Dr.  Kirk,  as  he  had  not 
yet  learned  their  language,  and  his  leader  knowing  his  com- 
panion to  be  equally  anxious  with  himself  to  solve  the  problem 
of  the  navigableness  of  Kebrabasa,  was  not  at  pains  to  enlighten 
him.  At  one  part  a  bare  mountain  spur  barred  the  way,  and 
had  to  be  surmounted  by  a  perilous  and  circuitous  route,  along 
which  the  crags  were  so  hot  that  it  was  scarcely  possible  for  the 


350  MOUNT   MORUMBWA. 

hand  to  hold  on  long  enough  to  ensure  safety  in  the  passage ; 
and  had  the  foremost  of  the  party  lost  his  hold  he  would  have 
hurled  all  behind  him  into  the  river  at  the  foot  of  the  promon- 
tory ;  yet  in  this  wild  hot  region,  as  they  descended  again  to  the 
river,  they  met  a  fisherman  casting  his  hand-net  into  the  boiling 
eddies,  and  he  pointed  out  the  cataract  of  Morumbwa ;  within 
an  hour  they  were  trying  to  measure  it  from  an  overhanging 
rock,  at  a  height  of  about  one  hundred  feet.  When  you  stand 
facing  the  cataract,  on  the  north  bank,  you  see  that  it  is  situated 
in  a  sudden  bend  of  the  river,  which  is  flowing  in  a  short  curve; 
the  river  above  it  is  jammed  between  two  mountains  in  a  channel 
with  perpendicular  sides,  and  less  than  fifty  yards  wide ;  one  or 
two  masses  of  rock  jut  out,  and  then  there  is  a  sloping  fall  of 
perhaps  twenty  feet  in  a  distance  of  thirty  yards.  It  would  stop 
all  navigation,  except  during  the  highest  floods ;  the  rocks 
showed  that  the  water  then  rises  upwards  of  eighty  feet  perpen- 
dicularly. 

Still  keeping  the  position  facing  the  cataract,  on  its  riglit  side 
rises  Mount  Morumbwa,  from  two  thousand  to  three  thousand 
feet  high,  which  gives  the  name  to  the  spot.  On  the  left  of  the 
cataract  stands  a  noticeable  mountain  which  may  be  called  onion- 
shaped,  for  it  is  partly  conical,  and  a  large  concave  flake  has 
peeled  off,  as  granite  often  docs,  and  left  a  broad,  smooth,  convex 
face  as  if  it  were  an«enormous  bulb.  These  two  mountains  ex- 
tend their  bases  northwards  about  half  a  mile,  and  the  river  in 
that  distance,  still  very  narrow,  is  smooth,  with  a  few  detached 
rocks  standing  out  from  its  l)ed.  They  climbed  as  high  up  the 
base  of  INIount  Morumbwa,  which  touches  the  cataract,  as  they 
required.  The  rocks  were  all  water-worn  and  smooth,  with 
huge  pot-holes,  even  at  one  hundred  feet  above  low  water. 
When,  at  a  later  j)criod,  they  climbed  up  the  northwestern  base 
of  this  same  mountain,  the  familiar  face  of  the  onion-shaped  one 
opposite  was  at  once  recognized  ;  one  point  of  view  on  the  talus 
of  Mount  Morumbwa  was  not  more  than  seven  or  eight  hundred 
yards  distant  from  the  other,  and  they  then  completed  the  survey 
of  Kobrabasa  from  end  to  end. 

They  did  not  attempt  to  return  by  the  way  they  came,  but 
scaled  the  p,]ope  of  tlie  mountain  on  the  north.  It  took  them 
three  hours'  hard  labor  in  cutting  their  way  up  through  the 


A   rERPETUAL   BARRIER.  351 

dense  thornbush  which  covered  the  ascent.  The  face  of  the  slope 
was  often  about  an  angle  of  seventy  degrees,  yet  their  guide, 
Shokumbenla,  whose  hard,  horny  soles,  resembling  those  of 
elephants,  showed  that  he  was  accustomed  to  this  rough  and  hot 
work,  carried  a  pot  of  water  for  them  nearly  all  the  way  up. 
They  slept  that  night  at  a  well  in  a  tufaceous  rock  on  the  north- 
west of  Chipereziwa,  and  never  was  sleep  more  sweet. 

From  what  they  had  seen  and  felt  they  were  satisfied  that 
Kebrabasa  must  always  form  a  barrier  to  navigation  at  the 
ordinary  low  water  of  the  river ;  but  the  rise  of  the  Avater  in  this 
gorge  being  as  much  as  eighty  feet  perpendicularly,  it  was  con- 
sidered probable  that  a  steamer  might  be  taken  up  at  high  flood, 
when  all  the  rapids  are  smoothed  over,  to  run  on  the  upper 
Zambesi.  The  most  formidable  cataract  in  it,  Morumbwa,  hav- 
ing only  about  twenty  feet  of  fall,  in  a  distance  of  thirty  yards, 
it  was  reasonable  to  suppose  that  it  must  entirely  disappear 
when  the  water  stands  eighty  feet  higher.  They  found  current 
stories  which  confirmed  their  impressions  of  the  impossibility  of 
navigation  in  low  water  and  encouraging  their  hope  of  ascend- 
ing safely  in  flood  time.  One  story  goes  that  once  on  a  time  a 
Portuguese  named  Jose  Pedra — by  the  natives  called  Nyama- 
tirabira — chief,  or  capitao  mor,  of  Zumbo,  a  man  of  large  enter- 
prise and  small  humanity — being  anxious  to  ascertain  if  Kebra- 
basa could  be  navigated,  made  two  slaves  fast  to  a  canoe,  and 
launched  it  from  Chicova  into  Kebrabasa,  in  order  to  see  if  it 
would  come  out  at  the  other  end.  As  neither  slaves  nor  canoe 
ever  appeared  again,  his  excellency  concluded  that  Kebrabasa 
was  unnavigable.  There  is  another  of  a  trader  who  had  a 
large  canoe  swept  away  by  a  sudden  rise  of  the  river,  and  it  was 
found  without  damage  below.  But  the  most  satisfactory  in- 
formation was  that  of  a  trustworthy  old  man,  who  asserted  that 
in  flood  all  Kebrabasa  became  quite  smooth,  and  he  had  often 
seen  it  so. 

Having  satisfied  themselves,  as  fiir  as  possible  at  the  time, 
concerning  the  famous  rapids,  the  party  returned  to  Teto,  and, 
in  accordance  with  the  requirements  of  their  commission,  gave 
themselves  up  to  various  examinations  into  the  agricultural  and 
mineral  resources  of  the  country,  and  such  observations  of  the 
customs  of  the  people,  and  climate,  etc.,  as  they  had  opportunity. 
18 


352  SCENES   IN   TETE. 

The  impressions  wliich  Dr.  Livingstone  had  received  during 
his  former  expedition,  as  to  the  policy  of  the  Portuguese  and 
their  general  influence  on  the  natives,  were  not  materially 
altered.  The  religious  ideas  of  these  nominal  representatives  of 
a  Christian  civilization  were  unquestionably  anything  but  help- 
ful to  a  people  already  sadly  given  to  superstition.  Neither 
Dr.  Livingstone  nor  any  of  his  associates  were  inclined  to  regard 
with  disrespect  the  rites  or  ceremonies  of  any  creed,  but  they 
were  constrained  to  condemn  mast  unqualifiedly  the  encourage- 
ment of  native  ignorance  and  superstition,  which  they  could  not 
help  observing  in  even  the  worship  of  those  who  ought  to  have 
felt  their  responsibility  in  some  degree  for  the  intellectual  and 
moral  condition  of  the  degraded  creatures  among  whom  they 
were  the  recognized  representatives  of  civilization.  As  an  illus- 
tration of  the  order  of  things  which  prevailed,  it  is  mentioned, 
that,  during  the  prevalence  of  a  "drought,  in  1858,  a  neighbor- 
ing chief  got  up  a  performance,  with  divers  ceremonies  and 
incantations,  to  bring  rain,  but  it  would  not  come.  The 
Goanese  padre  of  Tete,  to  satisfy  his  compatriots,  appointed  a 
procession  and  prayers  in  honor  of  Saint  Antonio  for  the  same 
purpose.  The  first  attempt  did  not  answer,  but  on  the  second 
occasion,  arranged  to  come  off  after  the  new  moon  appeared,  a 
grand  procession  in  the  saint's  honor  ended  in  so  much  rain 
that  the  roof  of  the  Residencia  gave  way ;  Saint  Antonio's 
image  was  decorated  the  following  week  with  a  golden  coronal 
worth  c£22,  for  sending  the  long-delayed  and  much-needed  rain. 
So  great  was  the  irreverence  manifested  on  this  occasion — the 
kneeling  worshippers  laughing  and  joking  between  the  responses, 
not  even  ceasing  their  grins  when  uttering,  'Ora  pro  nobis' — 
that  they  could  not  help  believing  that  if,  like  the  natives,  they 
had  faith  in  rain  making,  they  had  faith  in  nothing  else."  In- 
deed, they  were  convinced  that,  instead  of  scattering  the  dark- 
ness which  they  found  hovering  over  the  mind  of  the  African, 
the  native  Portuguese  had  themselves  become  the  victims  of 
that  darkness,  and  were  hardly  less  the  slaves  of  idle  fancies 
than  their  sable  subjects.  Even  in  the  most  matter-of-fact 
affairs  of  life  they  were  dragging  the  degrading  chains  of  super- 
stition. They  would  not  plant  coffee  because  they  believed 
that  he  who  did  so  would  never  be  happy  afterward.     And  Dr. 


THE  TEACni>'G  OF  NATURE.  353 

Livingstone  was  informed  that  shortly  after  his  departure  for 
Kebrabasa,  a  little  rise  having  occurred  in  the  river,  and  the 
waters  becoming  turbid,  a  native  Portuguese  gentleman  came 
to  the  commander,  and  with  a  grave  countenance  expressed  his 
fear  that  "that  Englishman  was  doing  something  to  the  river." 
And  while  he  was  at  Tete  a  captain  of  infantry  was  sent  a  pris- 
oner to  Mozambique  for  administering  the  muave,  or  ordeal, 
and  for  putting  suspected  persons  to  death  on  that  evidence 
alone.  It  was  hardly  surprising  that  under  such  influences  the 
natives  who  were  in  contact  with  white  people  seemed,  as  indeed 
they  were,  more  ignorant  and  degraded  than  those  on  whom  no 
ray  from  the  civilized  world  had  ever  fallen.  The  amazing 
fertility  of  the  minds  of  these  doubly  unfortunate  beings  in  super- 
stitions was  not  only  an  occasion  of  sorrowful  reflections  and 
anxious  thought,  and  not  only  an  almost  insurmountable  barrier 
in  the  way  of  their  conversion ;  it  demanded  the  most  careful 
vigilance  on  the  part  of  strangers  to  their  ideas,  who  desired  to 
avoid  giving  offence,  as  certain  members  of  the  expedition  real- 
ized when  they  found,  on  one  occasion,  that  they  had  gravely 
offended  the  great  crocodile  school  of  medicine  by  shooting  one 
of  those  huge  reptiles  as  it  lay  basking  in  the  sun  on  a  sand- 
bank near  the  village.  Nature  alone  has  dealt  kindly  with 
these  degraded  beings.  God  made  nature ;  it  is  the  shadov/y 
expression  of  God.  It  does  not  teach  distinctly,  but  it  teaches 
truly ;  and  nowhere  is  its  language  more  beautiful  than  in 
Africa  ;  and  it  is  an  inspiration  for  Christian  zeal  in  the  work  of 
giving  the  tribes  of  that  unhappy  land  to  know,  that  even  in 
the  depths  of  their  ignorance,  and  under  the  influence  of  the 
most  corrupting  institutions,  and  the  victims  of  most  deliberate 
cruelty,  there  are  those  among  these  tribes  who  are  not  insen- 
sible to  the  charms  of  nature.  There  could  hardly  have  been  a 
more  beautiful  answer  given  than  that  which  one  of  the  Bechu- 
anas  gave  in  explanation  of  the  meaning  of  their  word  "  boilse- 
faho,"  "  holiness."  He  said :  "  When  copious  showers  have 
descended  in  the  night,  and  all  the  earth  and  leaves  and  cattle 
are  washed  clean,  and  the  sun  rising  shoNvs  a  drop  of  dew  on 
every  blade  of  grass,  and  the  air  breathes  fresh,  that  is  holiness." 
The  most  charming  season,  if  one  may  be  preferred,  is  toward 
the  end  of  summer,  when  the  rains  are  becoming  frequent  and 


354  CHRISTMAS  IN   AFRICA. 

vegetation  is  resuming  its  -warm  coat  of  life,  whose  varied  colors 
<listinguish  its  singular  beauty.  At  that  season  the  air  becomes 
clear,  inviting  the  most  extended  gaze,  as  if  all  things  were 
j)roudly  eager  for  display.  "  The  young  foliage  of  several 
trees,  more  especially  on  the  highlands,  comes  out  brown,  pale 
red,  or  pink,  like  the  hues  of  autumnal  leaves  in  England ;  and 
as  the  leaves  increase  in  size  they  change  to  a  pleasant  fresh 
light  green ;  bright  white,  scarlet,  pink,  and  yellow  flowers  are 
everywhere ;  and  some  few  of  dark  crimson,  like  those  of  thej 
kigelia,  give  warmth  of  coloring  to  Nature's  garden.  Many 
trees,  such  as  the  scarlet  erythrina,  attract  the  eye  by  the  beauty 
of  their  blossoms.  The  white,  full  bloom  of  the  baobab,  coming 
at  times  before  the  rains,  and  the  small  and  delicate  flowers  of 
other  trees,  grouped  into  rich  clusters,  deck  the  forest.  Myriads 
of  wild  bees  are  busy  from  morning  till  night.  Some  of  the 
acacias  possess  a  peculiar  attraction  for  one  species  of  beetle; 
while  the  palm  allures  others  to  congregate  on  its  ample  leaves. 
Insects  of  all  sorts  are  now  in  full  force ;  brilliant  butterflies  flit 
from  flower  to  flower,  and,  with  the  charming  little  sun-birds, 
which  represent  the  humming-birds  of  America  and  the  West 
Indies,  never  seem  to  tire.  Multitudes  of  ants  are  hard  at  work 
hunting  for  food,  or  bearing  it  home  in  triumph.  The  \vinter 
birds  of  passage,  such  as  the  yellow  wagtail  and  blue  drongo 
shrikes,  have  all  gone,  and  other  kinds  have  come ;  the  brown 
kite  with  his  piping  like  a  boatswain's  whistle,  the  spotted 
cuckoo  with  a  call  like  'pula,'  and  the  roller  and  horn-bill  with 
their  loud  high  notes,  are  occasionally  distinctly  heard,  though 
generally  this  harsher  music  is  half  drowned  in  the  volume  of 
sweet  sounds  poured  forth  from  many  a  throbbing  throat,  M'hich 
makes  an  African  Christmas  seem  like  an  English  May."  No 
Avonder  it  seemed  strange  to  the  Englishmen,  M'ho  had  always 
hailed  its  happy  eve  wra[)ped  in  their  fleecy  robes,  or  beside  the 
blazing  family  fire,  or  amidst  the  jingling  of  merry  bells  and 
the  ringing  of  merrier  laughter,  to  have  the  day  they  loved  so 
much  appear  dressed  so  brightly  in  gayest  colors ;  the  singing 
birds  and  springing  corn  and  flowering  plains  were  in  the  place 
of  the  mantle  of  snow  the  day  had  always  worn  when  it  earae 
with  its  gifts  and  joys  to  them  in  England.  But  it  was  not  a 
new  thing  for  men  to   think  that  everything  is  contrary  in 


M \ I'lMliiliiii'iilii '  iiiif 


THE   EAINY  SEASON.  357 

Africa.  Herodotus  only  expressed  the  climax  of  its  absurdities, 
in  his  view,  Avheu  he  wrote  of  the  hidden  land,  "  There  wool 
grows  on  the  heads  of  men  and  hair  on  the  backs  of  sheep." 
Dr.  Kirk  divided  the  year  in  Africa  into  three  seasons — the  cold 
period,  lasting  through  May,  June  and  July ;  the  hot,  prevail- 
ing through  August,  September  and  October;  and  the  wet, 
which  extends  through  the  remaining  months. 

"  The  rainy  season  of  Tete  differs  a  little  from  that  of  some 
of  the  other  intertropical  regions;  the  quantity  of  rain-fall  being 
considerably  less.  It  begins  in  November  and  ends  in  April. 
During  our  first  season  in  that  place,  only  a  little  over  nineteen 
inches  of  rain  fell.  In  an  average  year,  and  when  the  crops 
are  good,  the  fall  amounts  to  about  thirty-five  inches.  On 
many  days  it  does  not  rain  at  all,  and  rarely  is  it  wet  all  day  ; 
some  days  have  merely  a  passing  shower,  preceded  and  followed 
by  hot  sunshine ;  occasionally  an  interval  of  a  week,  or  even  a 
fortnight,  passes  without  a  drop  of  rain,  and  then  the  crops 
suffer  from  the  sun.  These  partial  droughts  happen  in  Decem- 
ber and  January.  The  heat  appears  to  increase  to  a  certain 
point  in  the  different  latitudes  so  as  to  necessitate  a  change,  by 
some  law  similar  to  that  which  regulates  the  intense  cold  in 
other  countries.  The  Zambesi  is  in  flood  twice  in  the  course  of 
the  year ;  the  first  flood,  a  partial  one,  attains  its  greatest  height 
about  the  end  of  December  or  beginning  of  January;  the 
second,  and  greatest,  occurs  after  the  river  inundates  the  interior, 
in  a  manner  similar  to  the  overflow  of  the  Nile,  this  rise  not 
taking  place  at  Tete  until  JNIarch.  The  Portuguese  say  that  the 
greatest  height  which  the  March  floods  attain  is  thirty  feet  at 
Tete,  and  this  happens  only  about  every  fourth  year;  their 
observations,  however,  have  never  been  very  accurate  on  any- 
thing but  ivory,  and  they  have  in  this  trusted  entirely  to 
memory." 

The  discoveries  of  Dr.  Livingstone  never  sustained  so  great  a 
rise.  It  rises  suddenly,  and  with  the  first  flood  dashes  along 
at  four  knots  an  hour,  but  gradually  spreads  over  the  surround- 
ing country,  and  as  it  extends  in  breadth  resumes  its  usual 
velocity.  Ordinarily  the  water  of  the  river  is  singularly  ])ure, 
and  exhibits  not  the  slightest  discoloration,  except  in  the  floods. 

The  former  reports  of  Dr.  Livingstone  were  abundantly  con- 


358  "gold!  gold!  gold!  gold!" 

iirmed  by  the  members  of  the  expedition,  as  to  the  agricultural 
possibilities  of  the  soil.  They  had  brought  some  cotton  seed 
with  them  to  Africa,  but  found  that,  besides  the  fact  that  there 
was  already  a  superior  grade  of  cotton  in  the  country,  there  M-as 
no  hope  of  inspiring  the  Portuguese  natives  with  any  ideas 
above  block  ivory  and  gold  dust. 

"Gold!  gold!  gold!  gold! 
Bright  and  yellow,  hard  and  cold  ; 
Molten,  graven,  hammered  and  rolled ; 
Heavy  to  get  and  light  to  hold  ; 
Hoarded,  bartered,  bought  and  sold  ; 
Stolen,  borrowed,  squandered,  doled  ; 
Spurned  by  the  young,  but  Iiugged  by  the  old 
To  the  very  verge  of  the  chureh-yard  mould ; 
Price  of  many  a  crime  untold  ; 
Gold  !  gold  !  gold !  gold  !  " 

Had  brought  them  to  this  shore. 

The  authorities  at  Lisbon,  like  the  authorities  everywhere, 
had  watehed  the  tantalizing  ignis  fatuus  of  the  terra  incognita 
which  all  tradition  pointed  to,  until  their  fancies,  overmastered 
by  their  desires,  seemed  to  be  the  conclusions  of  philosophy  and 
the  testimony  of  history,  and  they  hastened  to  possess  the  long- 
lost  Ophir  in  eastern  Africa,  and,  disappointed  more  by  their 
own  folly  and  idleness  than  by  the  resources  of  the  country 
which  they  were  neglecting,  they  were  attempting  to  compen- 
sate themselves  for  the  disappointment  by  converting  the 
precious  block  ivory  into  gold.  But  gold  is  gold,  and  Portugal 
found  a  world  full  of  sympathy  for  her  in  the  recourse  of  her 
(luappointment.  There  was  no  justification  of  this  recourse. 
Gold. was  unquestionably  plenty.  They  fell  into  the  snare  of 
those  who  make  haste  to  be  rich,  and  the  weakness  and  con- 
tempt to  which  their  colony  was  now  reduced  was  only  the 
rebuke  of  Providence.  The  gold  fields  had  been  forfeited,  and 
their  treasures  remain  secure  still  to  reward  a  loftier  wisdom 
and  truer  philanthropy. 

Of  course  the  newcomers  did  not  think  of  enjoying  the  full 
benefits  of  African  life,  or  counting  themselves  to  have  a  claim 
on  all  its  treasures  of  things,  new  and  old,  before  they  had 
passed  through  the  ordeal  which  may  as  well  be  considered  the 
initiatory  ceremony  of  the  continent.  One  of  the  members  of 
the   expedition    has  written    on   this   inspiring   theme  with   a 


A   SERIOUS   MATTER.  359 

master  skill.  More  particularly  was  he  iinpreased  with  the 
singular  effects  of  this  rite  of  the  continent  on  the  minds  of 
tliose  who  were  called  on  to  submit  to  it.  His  own  eloquent 
words,  pervaded  by  a  depth  of  feeling  which  leaves  little  doubt 
of  the  teacher  at  whose  feet  he  received  his  impressions,  are  as 
follows : 

"  Cheerfulnass  vanishe.'^,  and  the  whole  mental  horizon  is 
overcast  with  black  clouds  of  gloom  and  sadness.  The  liveliest 
joke  cannot  provoke  even  the  semblance  of  a  smile.  The  coun- 
tenance is  grave,  the  eyes  suffused,  and  the  few  utterances  are 
made  in  the  piping  voice  of  a  wailing  infant.  An  irritable 
temper  is  often  the  first  symptom  of  approaching  fever.  At 
such  times  a  man  feels  very  much  like  a  fool,  if  he  docs  not  act 
like  one.  Nothing  is  right,  nothing  pleases  the  fever-stricken 
victim.  He  is  peevish,  prone  to  find  fault  and  to  contradict, 
and  think  himself  insulteJ,  and  is  exactly  what  an  Irish  naval 
surgeon  before  a  court-martial  defined  a  drunken  man  to  be : 
*  a  man  unfit  for  society.'  If  a  party  were  all  soaked  full  of 
malaria  at  once,  the  life  of  the  leader  of  the  expedition  would  be 
made  a  burden  to  him.  One  might  come  with  lengthened 
visage,  and  urge  as  a  good  reason  for  his  despair,  if  further 
progress  were  attempted,  that  '  he  had  broken  the  photograph 
of  his  wife;'  another,  'that  his  proper  position  was  unjustly 
withheld  because  special  search  was  not  directed  towards  "  the 
ten  lost  tribes."  '  It  is  dangerous  to  rally  such  a  one,  for  the 
irate  companion  may  quote  Scripture,  and  point  to  their  habitat 
'  beyond  the  rivers  of  Ethiopia.'  When  a  man  begins  to  feel 
that  everything  is  meant  to  his  prejudice,  he  either  takes  a  dose 
of  'rousers,'  or  writes  to  the  newspapers,  according  to  the 
amount  of  sense  with  which  nature  has  endowed  him." 

It  is,  however,  the  deliberate  testimony  of  Dr.  Livingstone, 
that  there  is  a  reliable  preventative  against  even  African  fever, 
to  be  found  in  "  plenty  of  interesting  work  and  abundance  of 
wholesome  food  to  eat,"  a  prescription  which  may  not  be  de- 
spised in  any  country. 

"  To  a  man  w^ell  housed,"  says  he,  "  and  clothed,  M-ho  enjoys 
these  advantages,  the  fever  at  Tcte  will  not  prove  a  more  for- 
midable enemy  than  a  common  cold ;  but  let  one  of  these  be 
wanting — let  him  be  indolent,  or  guilty  of  excesses  in  eating  or 


360  LOOKING   TO   THE   SHIRE. 

drinking,  or  have  poor,  scanty  fare — and  the  fever  will  proba- 
bly become  a  more  serious  matter.  It  is  of  a  milder  type  at 
Tete  than  at  Quiliniane  or  on  the  low  sea-coast ;  and,  as  in  this 
part  of  Africa  one  is  as  liable  to  fever  as  to  colds  in  England,  it 
Avould  be  advisable  for  strangers  always  to  hasten  from  the  coast 
to  the  higher  lands,  in  order  that  when  the  seizure  does  take 
place,  it  may  be  of  the  mildest  type.  This  having  been  pointed 
out  by  Dr.  Kirk,  the  Portuguese  authorities  afterwards  took  the 
hint,  and  sent  the  next  detachment  of  soldiers  at  once  up  to 
Tete.  It  consisted  of  eighty  men,  and  in  spite  of  the  irregular- 
ities committed,  most  of  them  being  of  the  class  termed  '  incor- 
rigibles,'  in  three  years  only  ten  died,  and  but  five  of  fever." 

With  the  opening  of  the  new  year  the  attention  of  the  expe- 
dition was  fixed  upon  the  Shire,  whose  confluence  with  the 
y^jambesi  may  be  seen  about  a  hundred  miles  from  the  sea.  The 
J'ortuguese  heard  of  their  plans  for  ascending  this  stream  with 
dismay ;  it  was  associated  in  their  minds  with  all  that  was 
difficult  and  perilous.  They  could  give  no  information  what- 
ever about  it,  although  it  was  remembered  that  years  before  a 
Portuguese  vessel  had  attempted  to  ascend  it.  The  explanation 
of  the  failure  must  either  be  found  in,  or  was  concealed  by,  the 
fabulous  amount  of  gigantic  duck-weed  which  was  reported  to 
have  been  found  on  its  surface.  There  Avere  "sub  rosa"  whis- 
perings which  suggested  some  uncertainty  whether  the  duck- 
weed story  was  not  invented  to  conceal  the  retreat  of  the 
Portuguese  before  the  poisoned  arroNvs  of  the  natives.  However 
that  may  be,  the  residents  of  Tete  could  not  have  been  hired  to 
undertake  a  mission  up  the  Shire.  "Our  government,"  said 
®ne  commandant  to  Dr.  Livingstone,  "  has  sent  orders  to  assist 
and  protect  you  ;  but  you  go  where  we  dare  not  follow,  and  how 
can  we  protect  you  ?  "  Nothing  remained  to  be  done  in  another 
direction,  as  they  had  decided  to  wait  for  a  stronger  boat  before 
attemjiting  to  force  the  Kebrabasa  rapids,  being  satisfied  that 
the  "Ma  llobert"  was  unequal  to  the  undertaking.  Therefore 
they  set  out  in  January,  1859,  on  their  first  trip  up  the  Shire. 


CHAPTER    XYIII. 

THE  SHIRE. 

Month  of  the  Shire— Difficulties  Vanish—"  Englishman  "—Shire  Valley— Afri- 
can Swamp — Livingstone's  Art — Mount  Morambala — Mountain  Village — 
Chikanda — Two  Pythons — Pursued  by  a  Buffalo— The  Steamer— A  Sinking 
Ship  —  No  Note  of  Time  —  The  Musician  —  Hippopotamus  Traps — Shire 
Marshes — "Water-fowl — Ilites  and  Vultures — Forest  of  Palm  Trees— Islands  of 
the  Shire — An  Unhappy  Chief— Village  of  Chibisa — Chibisa — Lake  Shirwa — 
Sympathy  of  Fools — Discovery  of  Lake  Shirwa — E,eturn  to  the  Ship — Expedi- 
tion to  Lake  Nyassa — Manganja  Hills — Village  of  Chilimba — The  Manganja 
People — Agriculture — Cotton — Manufactures — Iron  Ore — Native  Trade — The 
Upper  Lip  Ring — Beer  Drinking— Drunken  Villages— Love  of  Home — The 
Muave  Again — Faith — Nyassa  Discovered — Return  to  Tete. 

Sailing  down  the  Zambesi  amidst  scenes  which  are  always 
strange  and  wonderful  to  those  whose  imaginations  have  only 
had  the  training  of  northern  climes,  passing  many  points  which 
they  could  not  call  familiar,  though  they  were  not  new  to  them, 
the  expedition  turned  into  the  river  whose  bar  of  duck-weed  or 
hedge  of  poisoned  arrows  had  kept  the  secret  of  its  wealth  and 
wonders  so  securely  against  tlie  feebleness  and  irresolution  of 
the  Portuguese,  and  were  pleased  to  find  deeper  though  nar- 
rower water  than  they  had  lefl. 

On  their  right  hand,  not  far  from  the  river,  stood  the  stockade 
of  Mariano,  one  of  those  villanons  half-caste  marauders  whose 
unscrupulous  bai'barity  justified  the  native  saying  that  "  God 
made  the  African  and  God  made  the  wliite  man,  but  the  devil 
made  the  half-castes,"  a  conclusion  which  the  most  zealous 
defender  of  Divine  sovereignty,  who  has  had  experience  with 
them,  does  not  feel  called  on  to  question.  The  residence  of  this 
man  may  go  far  toward  explaining  the  suspicion  with  which  the 
natives  under  Tingane  had  regarded  all  approaches  from  the 
Zambesi.  Their  poisoned  arrows  were  in  constant  demand  in 
protecting  themselves  from  the  slave-yoke  which  he  handled 
with  a  cruelty  which  must  have  been  very  exhilarating  to  his 
supposed  creator.     And  the  knowledge  that  he  represented  a 

361 


362  DIFFICULTIES   VANISH. 

system  introduced  by  white  men  naturally  led  the  tribes  to  asso- 
ciate every  lighter  shade  than  their  own  dark  skins  with  the 
evils  which  they  knew  attended  the  dominion  of  the  stockade. 
It  was  natural  enough,  then,  for  these  people  to  appear  in  force 
on  the  border  of  their  territory  to  resist  the  approaches  of  the 
"  puffing  and  blowing "  monster  that  the  "  Old  Asthmatic " 
unquestionably  seemed  to  them  to  be.  They  may  have  thought 
that  the  resolute  creator  had  taken  in  hand  to  do  in  person  the 
work  which  his  faithful  creature  had  failed  to  accomplish,  and 
it  was  time  for  them  to  put  forth  all  their  prowess  if  they  would 
still  be  free.  Dr.  Livingstone  did  not  hesitate  to  go  on  shore 
at  their  villages  and  explain  to  these  people,  whose  attitude 
Avould  have  intimidated  an  ordinary  man,  the  purposes  of  the 
expedition.  The  name  of  Englishman  possessed  itself  a  charm 
for  them,  and  sustained  by  the  assurance  that  they  desired  no 
slaves,  but  only  to  ojien  a  way  by  which  their  countrymen 
^ight  come  to  purchase  cotton,  ivory,  corn,  etc.,  went  far 
toward  allaying  their  apprehensions  and  winning  their  friend- 
ship. The  object,  being  to  promote  industry  and  commerce, 
seemed  quite  reasonable,  and  the  notorious  proclivity  of  the 
race  to  all  sorts  of  trade  and  barter  aided  the  argument  no 
little.  There  was  found  also  a  general  belief  in  a  Supreme 
Being  and  in  the  continued  existence  of  departed  spirits ;  and 
there  was  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  their  attention  to  "the 
Book  "  which  aided  so  much  the  designs  of  friendliness  every- 
where. Such  methods  of  dealing  with  them  were  as  strange  to 
these  rude  men  as  was  the  tremendous  craft  which  brought 
them,  and  the  poisoned  arrows  became  as  harmless  as  the  float- 
ing duckweed. 

The  Lower  Shire  flows  through  a  valley  varying  in  breadth 
from  ten  to  twenty  miles — an  exceedingly  low  and  swampy 
region;  just  such  a  country  as  needs  to  be  seen  at  all  seasons  of 
the  year.  A  tropical  swamp,  if  seen  only  when  scorched  and 
withered  by  the  rays  of  a  sun  whose  burning  brilliancy  almost 
justifies  the  awe  with  which  it  inspires  Eastern  woi-shippei-s, 
may  appear  desolate  and  forsaken,  and  suggest  serious  thoughts 
of  the  latter  day.  If  in  the  worse  season  still,  when  the  ground 
is  drying  and  the  mercury  is  gradually  rising  in  the  glass  you 
carry,   then   there  may  seem   to   be   flitting   everywhere   most 


A   TEOPICAL  SWAMP.  -363 

dreadful  torturers,  and  the  pulse  will  engage  the  attention  above 
all  possible  charms  of  external  nature.  But  when  the  frequent 
rains  refresh  all  things,  and  cloudy  canopies  are  often  spread 
over  trees  and  flowers,  and  the  sun  seems  resting  from  its  ire, 
then  the  wealth  of  foliage  and  flowers  and  fruits,  the  melody  of 
birds  whose  various  hues  present  a  museum  of  colors,  and  the 
lifefulness  of  every  creeping,  swimming,  crawling,  climbing, 
leaping  and  strolling  thing,  from  ants  to  elephants,  rivals  the 
most  wonderful  fancies  which  are  wrought  into  the  primitive 
abode  of  man.  Thus  we  may  appeal  to  the  seasons  for  the 
explanation  of  the  difference  between  the  pleasant  pictures 
drawn  by  Dr.  Livingstone  and  the  mournful,  wail-like  lan- 
guage of  Mr.  Rowley,  who  could  only  see  "swamp,  swamp, 
swamp — reeking,  festering,  rotting,  malaria-pregnant  swamp." 
It  is  very  much  pleasanter  to  settle  the  question  between  two 
men  by  the  sun  and  clouds,  than  by  bringing  the  "  liver"  into 
it.  Indeed,  one  of  the  special  charms  by  which  Dr.  Living- 
stone secured  the  attention  and  deepened  the  interest  continually 
with  which  the  eyes  of  the  world  followed  him  in  his  wander- 
ings was  his  capacity  to  find  pleasant  things  as  well  as  painful 
ones.  He  enables  us  to  look  on  the  world  as  it  is.  He  did  not 
hide  the  fact  that  there  were  ills  in  Africa.  The  man  would  he 
a  "natural"  indeed  who  should  dream  of  ease  and  luxury  with 
his  narrative  in  hand.  But  he  did  not  fail  to  observe  the  good 
for  which  men  might  dare  to  confront  the  ill.  If  a  man  must 
scorch  with  fever,  why  should  he  not  see  a  flower?  If  he  must 
encounter  suspicion  and  sometimes  be  in  peril  of  his  life,  why 
should  he  not  record  the  kindness  shown  him  and  observe  the 
beauties  which  no  blemishes  should  conceal,  the  excellencies  of 
character  which  divide  dominion  with  what  we  hate? 

The  object  of  Dr.  Livingstone,  as  a  man  and  as  a  representa- 
tive of  the  British  government,  was  not  only  to  explore  the 
river  and  examine  the  country ;  that  alone  would  have  been  an 
idle  enterprise,  and  unworthy  of  his  Christian  zeal  and  of  the 
English  name.  He  was  commissioned  also  to  engage  the 
friendly  regard  of  the  tribes,  and  cultivate  such  an  acquaintance 
with  them  as  might  facilitate  any  subsequent  enterprises  of 
church  or  state  in  their  midst.  He  needed,  therefore,  to  be 
exceedingly  careful  that,  with  so  large  and  varied  ?  company  as 


364  MOUNT   MORAMBALA. 

he  carried,  nothing  should  be  done  which  might  frustrate  his 
design.  The  anxious  throngs  who  lined  the  banks  of  the  river, 
gazing  on  the  strange  "  canoe  "  full  of  strange  people  passing  by 
them,  were  ignorant  and  degraded  according  to  our  standard  of 
intelligence  and  dignity ;  but  they  were  tlie  people  whose  eleva- 
tion it  was  the  object  of  the  expedition  to  promote. 

The  valley  is  walled  on  either  side  by  beautiful  hills,  and  for 
twenty  miles  those  on  their  right  hand  were  quite  near.  Then 
they  came  to  Morambala,  "  the  lofty  watch-tower  " — a  detached 
mountain  only  five  hundred  yards  from  the  river — which  rises 
four  thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  The  bold,  precipitous  front, 
Mdiich  cast  its  morning  shadows  toward  the  Shire,  cherished  a 
charming  vegetation,  but  repelled  all  thought  (?f  ascent  by 
clumsier  creatures  than  the  monkeys  which  played  at  hide  and 
seek  from  top  to  bottom,  calling  away  attention  from  the  singu- 
lar-looking horn-bill,  whose  dreaded  death  is  believed  to  afflict 
the  whole  land  with  cold,  the  lumbering  rhinoceros,  and  beauti- 
iul  racing  antelopes,  by  their  queer  capers.  Surely  if  men  are 
sprung  from  monkeys  the  most  clownish  is  nearest  in  the  line. 
Their  incessant  gambolling  and  chattering  attract  the  attention 
even  of  the  natives,  who,  despite  new  grudges  they  nearly 
always  owe  them  on  account  of  their  plundered  gardens  and 
fields,  cannot  resist  the  fascination  of  their  comical  eccentricities. 

The  southern  end  of  the  mountain,  seen  from  a  distance,  has 
a  fine  gradual  slope,  and  half  way  up  a  small  village  was  peep- 
ing out  of  the  foliage.  The  atmosphere,  as  some  of  the  party 
ascended  the  mountain,  was  fofind  becoming  delightfully  pure 
and  bracing,  and  the  people  of  the  village  received  them  kindly. 
The  summit  of  the  mountain  was  covered  Math  a  growth  entirely 
unlike  what  they  had  seen  in  the  valley.  There  were  orange, 
lemon,  and  some  pineapple  trees,  though  the  latter  had  been 
planted  there.  But  these  happy  and  friendly  residents  of  the 
summit,  about  which  friendly  clouds  rested  when  all  the  plain 
was  scorched,  cherishing  the  choicest  fruits,  before  the  later  visits 
of  Livingstone  to  their  homes,  had  become  the  victims  of  Mari- 
ano, and  had  been  nearly  all  carried  away  from  their  happy 
freedom.  God  knows  whether  they  fell  under  his  cruelties  or 
are  dragging  out  a  weary  bondage  in  some  far-away  land.  Yes, 
God  knows,  and  will  not  forgot  their  history  nor  despise  their 
cries. 


I 


MONKEYS   IN   THEIR   ELEMENT 


THE   SHIRE   VALLEY.  367 

Looking  from  IMorambala  across  the  tongue  of  land  which 
lies  between  the  Shire  and  the  Zambesi,  there  were  seen  a  few 
clumps  of  palm  and  acacia  trees,  and  herds  of  game  which  might 
have  tempted  Nimrod  to  pitch  his  tent  there  in  contentment. 
Near  the  nortliern  base  there  was  bubbling  up  a  little  boiling 
fountain  ready  for  eggs  or  meats,  and  capable  of  doing  its  work 
thoi'oughly  enough,  to  the  sorrow  of  sucli  unlucky  creatures  as 
chanced  to  select  it  for  their  bath. 

Beyond  INIorambala  the  Shire  comes  winding  through  au 
extensive  marsh.  For  many  miles  to  the  north  a  broad  sea  of 
fresh  green  grass  extends,  and  is  so  level  that  it  might  be  used 
for  taking  the  meridian  altitude  of  the  sun.  Ten  or  fifteen  miles 
north  of  Morambala  stands  the  dome-shaped  mountain  Makanga, 
or  Chi-kanda;  sevei'al  others  with  granitic-looking  peaks  stretch 
away  to  the  north,  and  form  the  eastern  boundary  of  the  valley ; 
another  range,  but  of  metamorphic  rocks,  commencing  opposite 
Senna,  bounds  the  valley  on  the  west.  After  steaming  through 
a  portion  of  this  marsh,  they  came  to  a  broad  belt  of  palm  and 
other  trees,  crossing  the  fine  plain  on  the  right  bank.  Marks 
of  large  game  were  abundant.  Elephants  had  been  feeding  on 
the  palm  nuts,  which  have  a  pleasant,  fruity  taste,  and  are  used 
as  food  by  man.  Two  pythons  were  observed  coiled  together 
among  the  branches  of  a  large  tree,  and  were  both  shot.  The 
larger  of  the  two,  a  female,  was  ten  feet  long.  They  are  harm- 
less, and  said  to  be  good  eating.  The  Makololo  having  set  fire 
to  the  grass  wdiere  they  were  cutting  wood,  a  solitary  buffalo 
rushed  out  of  the  conflagration,  and  made  a  furious  charge  at 
an  active  young  fellow  named  Mautlanyane.  Never  did  his 
fleet  limbs  serve  him  better  than  during  the  few  seconds  of  his 
fearful  flight  before  the  maddened  animal.  When  he  reached 
the  bank,  and  sprang  into  the  river,  the  infuriated  beast  was 
scarcely  six  feet  behind  him.  Towards  evening,  after  the  day's 
labor  in  wood-cutting  vras  over,  some  of  the  men  went  fishing. 
They  followed  the  common  African  custom  of  agitating  the 
water,  by  giving  it  a  few  sharp  strokes  with  the  top  of  the 
fishing-rod,  immediately  after  throwing  in  the  line,  to  attract 
the  attention  of  the  fish  to  the  bait.  Having  caught  nothing, 
the  reason  assigned  was  the  same  as  the  reader  would  be  likely 
to  give  under  like  circumstances,  namely,  that  "the  wind  made 


368  "lake  of  mud." 

the  fish  cold,  and  they  would  not  bite."  ;Many  gardens  of 
maize,  pumpkins  and  tobacco  fringed  the  marshy  banks,  be- 
longing to  natives  of  the  hills,  who  come  down  in  the  dry 
season,  and  raise  a  crop  on  parts  at  other  times  flooded.  While 
the  crops  are  growing,  large  quantities  of  fish  are  caught, 
chiefly  Clarias  capmsis  and  3fugil  Africanus ;  they  are  dried 
for  sale  or  for  future  consumption. 

Farther  up,  they  passed  a  deep  stream  about  thirty  yards 
wide,  flowing  in  from  a  body  of  open  water  several  miles  broad. 
Numbers  of  men  were  busy  at  different  parts  of  it,  filling  their 
canoes  with  the  lotus  root,  called  Nyiha,  which,  Avhen  boiled  or 
roasted,  resembles  our  chestnuts,  and  is  extensively  used  in 
Africa  as  food.  Out  of  this  lagoon,  and  by  this  stream,  the 
chief  part  of  the  duckweed  of  the  Shire  flows.  The  lagoon 
itself  is  called  Nyanja  ea  Motope  (Lake  of  Mud).  It  is  also 
named  Nyanja  Pangono  (Little  Lake),  while  the  elephant 
marsh  goes  by  the  name  of  Nyanja  Mukulu  (Great  Lake).  It 
is  evident  from  the  shore  line  still  to  be  observed  on  the  adja- 
cent hills,  that  in  ancient  times  these  were  really  lakes,  and  the 
traditional  names  thus  preserved  are  only  another  evidence  of 
the  general  desiccation  which  Africa  has  undergone.  No  one 
would  believe  that  beyond  these  little  and  great  Nyanjas  Por- 
tuguese geographical  knowledge  never  extended.  But  the 
Viscount  Sa  da  Bandeira,  in  an  official  letter  to  the  Governor- 
General  of  ^lozambique,  in  his  patriotic  anxiety  to  prove  that 
Dr.  Livingstone  did  not  discover  Lake  Nyassa,  quotes  as  the 
only  information  the  ancient  archives  of  Lisbon  can  disclose, 
that  the  people  of  Senna  held  commercial  intercourse  with  the 
people  on  IMorambala,  and  of  course,  as  he  avers,  must  have 
sailed  into  the  little  and  great  marshes  or  Nyanjas  referred  to 
above.  No  wonder  that  assumption  exhibiting  at  once  so  much 
falseness  and  ignorance  was  rather  a  strain  on  the  longsufforing 
of  the  man  who  had  so  patiently  overcome  the  tremendous 
obstacles  of  distance  and  dangers  in  bringing  the  hidden  regions 
to  the  knowledge  of  the  civilized  world. 

The  channel  continued  quite  good,  but  the  little  steamer, 
which  they  had  long  before  found  to  be  a  grand  humbug,  gave 
them  such  an  amount  of  trouble,  and  consumed  such  quantities 
of  wood,  that  their  advance  was  hardly  easier  than  it  would 


"no  note  of  time."  ^0 

have  been  on  the  laud.  It  was  of  infinite  service,  liowever,  in 
impressing  their  neighbors  on  the  banks  with  the  importance 
of  the  travellers,  and  gave  great  emphasis  to  what  they  said. 
An  appearance  of  strength  and  independence  helps  a  man  won- 
derfully in  Africa,  just  as  it  does  in  America,  and  one  feels 
under  no  special  obligation  to  tell  the  gazing  throng,  here  or 
there,  that  the  ship  which  awes  them  is  a  leaking  ship.  If  men 
do  not  know  that  it  leaks  they  may  not  try  to  sink  it. 

The  people  along  the  river,  of  whom,  in  the  lower  part,  Tan- 
gane  is  the  paramount  chief,  were  found  congregated  in  count- 
less little  villages,  just  as  in  other  sections;  and  though  at  first 
distant  and  a  little  inclined  to  be  belligerent,  generally  yielded 
to  the  arguments  M'hich  overcame  those  nearest  the  Shire.  They 
were  not  quite  as  eager  for  trade  when  they  were  first  visited  as 
they  afterward  became,  and  consequently  the  party,  during  the 
first  ascent  of  the  river,  were  considerably  annoyed  by  the  loss 
of  time,  for  which,  however,  they  censure  a  people  who  took 
"  no  note  "  of  the  commodity,  among  whom  it  had  no  "  tongue." 
It  was  their  misfortune,  not  the  fault  of  the  natives,  that  they 
held  their  notions  of  expeditious  work  in  the  midst  of  men  who 
recognize  no  other  reason  for  being  in  a  hurry  except  the  neces- 
sity of  escaping  with  life  from  an  enemy.  They  could  not  be 
condemned  because  they  did  not  know  the  value  of  money,  and 
cared  too  little  for  the  advantages  of  a  market  to  be  eager  about 
selling  food.  They  were  willing  enough,  but  did  not  see  why 
they  should  make  haste.  The  state  of  eager  competition  which 
in  America  wears  out  both  mind  and  body,  and  makes  life 
bitter,  is  here  happily  unknown.  The  cultivated  spots  are 
mere  dots  compared  to  the  broad  fields  of  rich  soil  which  are 
never  either  grazed  or  tilled.  Pity  that  the  plenty  in  store  for 
all,  from  our  Father's  bountiful  hands,  is  not  enjoyed  by  more. 

Rice  was  sold  at  wonderfully  low  rates,  and  when  they 
chanced  to  come  to  villages  where  the  people  were  eager  to 
trade,  tliey  could  not  purchase  a  tithe  of  that  which  was  brought 
to  them.  This  was  particularly  true  of  their  experience  at 
Mbona  (16°  56'  30''  S.)  While  anchored  at  this  village,  they 
w^ere  serenaded  in  the  evening  by  a  native  minstrel,  playing  his 
quaint  tunes  on  a  species  of  fiddle  with  one  string,  and  singing 
strange,  wild,  unmusical  songs,  who  told  some  of  the  Makololo 


370  THE   NOCTURNAL   MUSICIAN. 

that  he  intended  to  play  all  night  to  induce  them  to  give  him  a 
present.  The  nights  being  cold,  the  thermometer  falling  to 
47°,  with  occasional  fogs,  he  was  asked  if  he  was  not  afraid  of 
perishing  from  cold ;  but,  with  the  genuine  spirit  of  an  Italian 
organ-grinder,  he  replied,  "  Oh,  no ;  I  shall  spend  the  night 
with  my  white  comrades  in  the  big  canoe ;  I  have  often  heard 
of  the  white  men,  but  have  never  seen  them  till  now,  and  I 
must  sing  and  play  well  to  thefn."  Such  a  proposition  was 
dreadful.  The  situation  was  serious,  as  who  may  not  imagine 
who  has  been  robbed  of  his  needed  slumber  by  the  nocturnal 
knights  of  the  muse  w^ho  infest  all  communities.  It  was  an 
occasion  demanding  action,  and  the  treasures  were  opened  as 
eagerly  as  if  to  satisfy  the  covetous  demands  of  an  extortionate 
chief,  and  the  few  yards  of  cloth  were  considered  well  spent 
which  were  invested  in  buying  the  courteous  visitor  off  from  his 
purpose. 

A  range  of  hills,  commencing  opposite  Senna,  comes  to  within 
two  or  three  miles  of  jNIboma  village,  and  then  runs  in  a  north- 
westerly direction ;  the  principal  hill  is  named  Malawe ;  a  num- 
ber of  villages  stand  on  its  tree-covered  sides,  and  coal  is  found 
cropping  out  in  the  rocks.  The  country  improved  as  they 
ascended,  the  rich  valley  becoming  less  swampy,  and  adorned 
with  a  number  of  trees. 

Both  banks  were  dotted  with  hippopotamus  traps,  over  every 
track  which  these  animals  have  made  in  going  up  out  of  the 
water  to  graze.  The  hippopotamus  feeds  on  grass  alone,  and, 
where  there  is  any  danger,  only  at  night.  Its  enormous  lips 
act  like  a  mowing-machine,  and  form  a  path  of  short-cropped 
grass  as  it  feeds.  It  is  never  seen  to  eat  aquatic  plants  or  reeds. 
The  tusks  seem  weapons  of  both  offence  and  defence.  The  hip- 
popotamus trap  consists  of  a  beam  five  or  six  feet  long,  armed 
with  a  spear-head  or  hard-wood  spike,  covered  with  poison,  and 
suspended  to  a  forked  pole  by  a  cord,  which,  coming  down  to 
the  path,  is  held  by  a  catch,  to  be  set  free  when  the  beast  trexids 
on  it.  Being  wary  brutes,  they  are  still  very  numerous.  One 
got  frightened  by  the  ship  as  she  was  steaming  close  to  the  bank. 
In  its  eager  hurry  to  escape  it  rushed  on  shore,  and  ran  directly 
under  a  trap,  when  down  came  the  heavy  beam  on  its  back, 
driving  the  poisoned  spear-head  a  foot  deep  into  its  flesh.     In 


CARACAL. 


ELEPHANT  MAESH.  373 

its  agony  it  plunged  back  into  the  river,  to  die  in  a  few  hours, 
and  afterwards  furnished  a  feast  for  the  natives.  The  poison  on 
the  spear-liead  does  not  affect  the  meat,  except  the  part  around 
the  wound,  and  that  is  thrown  away.  In  some  places  the  de- 
scending beam  is  weighted  with  heavy  stones,  but  here  the  hard, 
heavy  wood  is  sufficient. 

A  few  miles  above  Mboma  they  came  to  the  village  of  the 
chief  of  the  country  through  which  they  had  been  passing. 
Tingane  was  an  elderly  man  with  gray  hair,  tall  and  well 
made.  The  excited  demeanor  which  was  natural  oil  his  first 
acquaintance  Avith  white  people  wore  away  with  his  observation 
of  his  new  friends,  until  in  the  later  visits  he  could  be  recorded 
among  the  hospitable  and  open-hearted  men  of  the  continent. 
Some  miles  to  the  right  from  this  village  could  be  seen  Mount 
Clarendon  looming  up  in  conspicuous  grandeur,  and  further  to 
the  northwest  the  Milange  range,  which  send  forth  from  their 
shadows  the  river  Rue,  which  flows  into  the  Shire  just  above  the 
village.  Only  a  short  distance  above  the  confluence  of  the  Rue 
came  Elephant  Marsh,  with  its  fabulous  herds  of  this  royal 
beast.  Eight  hundred  were  counted  in  a  single  herd.  This 
was  truly  a  wonderful  scene,  besides  the  enormous  herds  of  large 
animals  everywhere  to  be  seen. 

"The  Shire  marshes  support  prodigious  numbers  of  many 
kinds  of  wa.ter-fowl.  An  hour  at  the  mast-head  unfolded  novel 
views  of  life  in  an  African  marsh.  Near  the  edge,  and  on  the 
branches  of  some  favorite  tree,  rest  scores  of  plotuses  and  cor- 
morants, which  stretch  their  snake-like  necks  and  in  mute  amaze- 
ment turn  one  eye  and  then  another  towards  the  approaching 
monster.  By  and  by  the  timid  ones  begin  to  fly  off,  or  take 
'  headers '  into  the  stream  ;  but  a  few  of  the  bolder,  or  more  com- 
posed, remain,  only  taking  the  precaution  to  spread  their  M'ings 
ready  for  instant  flight.  The  pretty  ardetta  {Herodlas  buhuleus), 
of  a  light  yellow  color  when  at  rest,  but  seemingly  of  a  pure 
white  when  flying,  takes  wing,  and  sweeps  across  the  green 
grass  in  large  numbers,  often  showing  where  buffaloes  and  ele- 
phants are  by  perching  on  their  backs.  Flocks  of  ducks,  of 
which  the  kind  called  '  Soriri '  {Dendrocygna  personata)  is  most 
abundant,  being  night  feeders,  meditate  quietly  by  the  snxill 
lagoonSj  until  startled  by  the  noise  of  the  steam  machinery. 
19 


374  FOREST  OF  FALM  TREES. 

Pelicans  glide  over  the  water  catching  fish,  while  the  Scopus 
{Scopus  umbrctta)  and  large  herons  peer  intently  into  pools. 
The  large  black  and  white  spur-winged  goose  (a  constant  ma- 
rauder of  native  gardens)  springs  up,  and  circles  round  to  find 
out  what  the  disturbance  can  be,  and  then  settles  down  again 
with  a  splash.  Hundreds  of  Linongolos  {Anastomus  lameUi- 
gerus)  rise  on  the  wing  from  the  clumps  of  reeds,  or  low  trees  (the 
Eschinomena,  from  which  pith  hats  are  made),  on  which  they 
build  in  colonies,  and  are  speedily  high  in  mid-air.  Charming 
little  red  and  yellow  weavers  [Ploceidce]  remind  one  of  butter- 
flies, as  they  fly  in  and  out  of  the  tall  grass,  or  hang  to  the 
mouths  of  their  pendent  nests,  chattering  briskly  to  their  mates 
within.  Kites  and  vultures  are  busy  overhead,  beating  the 
ground  for  their  repast  of  carrion ;  and  the  solemn-looking, 
stately-stepping  Flamingoes,  with  a  taste  for  dead  fish,  or  men, 
stalk  slowly  along  the  almost  stagnant  channels.  Groups  of 
men  and  boys  are  searching  diligently  in  various  places  for  lotui 
and  other  roots.  Some  are  standing  in  canoes,  on  the  weed- 
covered  ponds,  spearing  fish,  while  others  are  punting  over  the 
small  intersecting  streams  to  examine  their  sunken  fish-baskets. 

"  Towards  evening,  hundreds  of  pretty  little  hawks  {Erytliro- 
pus  vespertinus)  are  seen  flying  in  a  southerly  direction,  and 
feeding  on  dragon-flies  and  locusts.  They  come,  apparently, 
from  resting  on  the  palm-trees  during  the  heat  of  the  day. 
Flocks  of  scissor-bills  (Rhyncops)  are  then  also  on  the  wing, 
and  in  search  of  food,  ploughing  the  water  with  their  lower 
mandibles,  which  are  nearly  half  an  inch  longer  than  the  upper 
ones. 

"  At  the  northeastern  end  of  the  marsh,  and  about  three  miles 
from  the  river,  commences  a  great  forest  of  palm-trees  (J5ora«si<s 
JEXhiopium).  It  extends  many  miles,  and  at  one  point  comes 
close  to  the  river.  The  gray  trunks  and  green  tops  of  this  im- 
mense mass  of  trees  give  a  pleasing  tone  of  color  to  the  view. 
The  mountain-range,  which  rises  close  behind  the  palms,  is 
generally  of  a  cheerful  green,  and  has  many  trees,  w^ith  patches 
of  a  lighter  tint  among  them,  as  if  spots  of  land  had  once  been 
cultivated.  The  sharp  angular  rocks  and  dells  on  its  sides  have 
the  appearance  of  a  huge  crystal  broken  ;  and  this  is  so  often  the 
case  in  Africa  that  one  can  guess  pretty  nearly  at  sight  whether 


ZUIitr  WOMEN 


PALM  TREE 


ISLANDS   OF   THE   SHIRE.  377 

a  range  is  of  the  old  crystalline  rocks  or  not.  The  Borassus, 
though  not  an  oil-bearing  palm,  is  a  useful  tree.  The  fibrous 
pulp,  round  the  large  nuts,  is  of  a  sweet,  fruity  taste,  and  is 
eaten  by  men  and  elephants.  The  natives  bury  the  nuts  until 
the  kernels  begin  to  sprout ;  when  dug  up  and  broken,  the  in- 
side resembles  coarse  potatoes,  and  is  prized  in  times  of  scai'city 
as  nutritious  food.  During  several  months  of  the  year  palm- 
wine,  or  sura,  is  obtained  in  large  quantities ;  when  fresh,  it  is  a 
pleasant  drink,  somewhat  like  champagne,  and  not  at  all  intoxi-" 
eating ;  though,  after  standing  a  few  hours,  it  becomes  highly  so. 
Sticks,  a  foot  long,  are  driven  into  notches  in  the  hard  outside 
of  the  tree — the  inside  being  soft  or  hollow — tq  serve  as  a  ladder; 
the  top  of  the  fruit-shoot  is  cut  off,  and  the  sapj.  pouring  out  at 
the  fresh  wound,  is  caught  in  an  earthen  pot,  which  is  hung  at 
the  point.  A  thin  slice  is  taken  off  the  end,  to  open  the  pores 
and  make  the  juice  flow  every  time  the  owner  ascends  to  empty 
the  pot.  Temporary  huts  are  erected  in  the  forest,  and  men  and 
boys  remain  by  their  respective  trees  day  and  night ;  the  nuts, 
fish,  and  wine  being  their  sole  food.  The  Portuguese  use  the 
palm-wine  as  yeast,  and  it  makes  bread  so  light  that  it  melts  in 
the  mouth  like  froth. 

"Above  the  palm-trees,  a  succession  of  rich,  low  islands  stud 
the  river.  Many  of  them  are  cultivated  and  grow  maize  at  all 
times  of  the  year,  for  we  saw  it  in  different  stages  of  growth  ; 
some  patches  ripe,  and  others  half-grown,  or  just  sprouting  out 
of  the  ground.  The  shores  are  adorned  with  rows  of  banana- 
trees,  and  the  fruit  is  abundant  and  cheap.  Many  of  the  reedy 
banks  are  so  intertwined  with  convolvulus,  and  other  creepers, 
as  to  be  absolutely  impenetrable.  They  are  beautiful  to  the 
eye,  a  smooth  wall  of  living  green  rising  out  of  the  crystal 
water,  and  adorned  with  lovely  flowers ;  but  so  dense  that,  if 
capsized  in  the  water,  one  could  scarcely  pass  through  to  land." 

The  village  of  Mankokwe,  an  unhappy,  suspicious  man,  who 
divides  the  paramount  dignity  of  the  section  with  Tingane,  offered 
no  hospitality,  and,  sailing  by  the  confluence  of  the  Moanza,  the 
expedition  cast  anchor  opposite  the  village  of  Chibisa.  This 
village,  on  the  southern  bank  of  the  river,  crowns  a  perpendicular 
bluff  of  stratified  sand,  quite  sixty  feet  high,  and  covered  with 
verdure.     From  this  elevated  spot  the  view  commanded  extorted 


3T8  THE   CHIEF   CHIBISA. 

exclamations  of  delight  from  the  most  indifferent.  The  noble 
river  winding  away  toward  the  Zambesi,  twining  about  hundreds 
of  verdant  islands,  laving  gently  the  grassy  banks,  and  catching 
the  shadows  of  the  splendid  trees;  the  valley,  also,  covered  with 
its  marvellous  wealth  of  forest  growth  and  animal  life ;  and 
farther  away  mountain  on  mountain  ;  then,  looking  northward, 
their  vision  leaped  along  the  summits  of  the  numerous  ranges 
of  the  highlands. 

The  chief  of  the  village  was  a  remarkably  shrewd  man,  and 
the  most  intelligent  chief,  by  far,  in  this  quarter.  A  groat  deal 
of  fighting  had  fallen  to  his  lot,  he  said  ;  but  it  was  always  others 
wlio  began ;  he  was  invariably  in  the  riglit,  and  they  alone  were 
to  blame.  He  was,  moreover,  a  firm  l)eliever  in  the  divine  right 
of  kings.  He  was  an  ordinary  man,  he  said,  when  his  father 
died  and  left  him  the  chieftainship ;  but  directly  he  succeeded  to 
the  high  office  he  Avas  conscious  of  power  passing  into  his  head 
and  down  his  back ;  he  felt  it  enter,  and  knew  that  he  was  a 
chief,  clothed  WMth  authority  and  possessed  of  wisdom ;  and 
people  then  began  to  fear  and  reverence  him.  He  mentioned 
this  as  one  would  a  fact  of  natural  history,  any  doubt  being 
quite  out  of  the  question.  His  people,  too,  believed  in  him,  for 
they  bathed  in  the  river  without  the  slightest  fear  of  crocodiles, 
the  chief  having  placed  a  powerful  medicine  there  which  pro- 
tected them.  He  sent  out  two  men  to  invite  Dr.  Livingstone 
to  drink  beer  with  him ;  but  the  steamer  was  above  their  com- 
prehension, they  could  not  confront  such  an  apparition,  and, 
shouting  the  invitation  from  a  distance,  they  abandoned  their 
canoes  and  made  for  the  shore  with  amusing  earnestness. 

The  most  conspicuous  industry  of  the  place  was  the  manufac- 
ture of  cotton  according  to  tlie  primitive  methods,  which  have 
maintained  their  dominion  grandly,  wliile  other  lands  have  wit- 
nessed an  entire  revolution  in  such  matters.  The  men  might 
be  seen  sitting  about  busily  cleaning,  sorting,  spinning  and  weav- 
ing. It  was  then,  as  always,  easy  to  observe  the  influence  on 
the  people  of  an  intelligent  and  thoughtful  chief:  they  were 
more  generous  and  friendly  and  more  readily  appreciated  the 
spirit  and  plans  of  the  white  men. 

"Leaving  the  vessel  opposite  Chibisa's  village,  Drs.  Living- 
stone and  Kirk,  and  a  number  of  the  ]Makololo,  started  on  foot 


A  SERIOUS  QUESTION.  379 

for  Lake  Shirwa.  They  travelled  in  a  northerly  direction  over 
a  mountainous  country.  The  people  were  far  from  being  well- 
disposed  to  them,  and  some  of  their  guides  tried  to  mislead 
them,  and  could  not  be  trusted.  Masakasa,  a  Makololo  head 
man,  overheard  some  remarks  which  satisfied  him  that  the  guide 
was  leading  them  into  trouble.  He  was  quiet  till  they  reached 
a  lonely  spot,  when  he  came  up  to  Dr.  Livingstone,  and  said, 
*  That  fellow  is  bad,  he  is  taking  us  into  mischief;  my  spear  is 
sharp,  and  there  is  no  one  here,  shall  I  cast  him  into  the  long 
grass?'  Had  the  doctor  given  the  slightest  token  of  assent,  or 
even  kept  silence,  nev^er  more  would  any  one  have  been  led  by 
that  guide,  for  in  a  twinkling  he  would  have  been  where  '  the 
wicked  cease  from  troubling.'  It  was  afterwards  found  that  in 
this  case  there  wiis  no  treachery  at  all ;  but  a  want  of  knowledge 
on  their  part  of  the  language  and  of  the  country.  They  asked 
to  be  led  to  '  Nyanja  Mukulu,'  or  Great  Lake,  meaning  by  this 
Lake  Shirwa ;  and  the  guide  took  them  round  a  terribly  rough 
piece  of  mountainous  country,  gradually  edging  away  towards 
a  long  marsh,  which  from  the  numbers  of  those  animals  we  had 
seen  there  we  had  called  the  Elephant  Marsh,  but  which  was 
really  the  place  known  to  him  by  the  name  'Nyanja  Mukulu,' 
or  Great  Lake.  Nyanja,  or  Nyanza,  means,  generally,  a  marsh, 
lake,  river,  or  even  a  mere  rivulet. 

"  The  party  pushed  on  at  last  without  guides,  or  only  with 
crazy  ones ;  for,  oddly  enough,  they  were  often  under  great  ob- 
ligations to  the  madmen  of  the  different  villages ;  one  of  these 
honored  them,  as  they  slept  in  the  open  air,  by  dancing  and 
singing  at  their  feet  the  whole  night.  These  poor  fellows  sym- 
pathized with  the  explorers,  probably  in  the  belief  that  they 
belonged  to  their  own  class ;  and,  uninfluenced  by  the  general 
opinion  of  their  countrymen,  they  really  pitied,  and  took  kindly 
to  the  strangers,  and  often  guided  them  faithfully  from  place 
to  place,  when  no  sane  man  could  be  hired  for  love  or  money. 

"  The  perseverance  of  the  party  M^as  finally  crowned  with  suc- 
cess ;  for  on  the  18th  of  April  they  discovered  Lake  Shirwa,  a 
considerable  body  of  bitter  water,  containing  leeches,  fish,  croco- 
diles and  hippopotami.  From  having  probably  no  outlet,  the 
water  is  slightly  brackish,  and  it  appears  to  be  deep,  with 
islands  like  hills  rising  out  of  it.     Their  point  of  view  was  at 


380  LAKE  SHIRWA. 

tlie  base  of  Mount  Primiti  or  Mopeu-peu,  on  its  S.  S.  W.  side. 
Thence  the  prospect  northwards  ended  in  a  sea  horizon  with 
two  small  islands  in  the  distance — a  larger  one,  resembling  a 
hill-top  and  covered  with  trees,  rose  more  in  the  foreground. 
Ranges  of  hills  appeared  on  the  east ;  and  on  the  west  stood 
Mount  Chikala,  which  seems  to  be  connected  with  the  great 
mountain  mass  called  Zomba. 

"  The  shore,  near  which  they  spent  two  nights,  was  covered 
with  reeds  and  papyrus.  Wishing  to  obtain  the  latitude  by  the 
natural  horizon,  they  waded  into  the  water  some  distance 
towards  what  was  reported  to  be  a  sand-bank,  but  were  so 
assaulted  by  leeches,  they  were  fain  to  retreat ;  and  a  woman 
told  them  that  in  enticing  them  into  the  water  the  men  only 
wanted  to  kill  them.  The  information  gathered  was  that  this 
lake  was  nothing  in  size  compared  to  another  in  the  north,  from 
which  it  is  separated  by  only  a  tongue  of  land.  The  northern 
end  of  Shirwa  has  not  been  seen,  though  it  has  been  passed ; 
the  length  of  the  lake  may  probably  be  sixty  or  eighty  miles, 
and  about  twenty  broad.  The  height  above  the  sea  is  eighteen 
hundred  feet,  and  the  taste  of  the  water  is  like  a  weak  solution 
of  Epsom  salts.  The  country  around  is  very  beautiful,  and 
clothed  with  rich  vegetation ;  and  the  waves,  at  the  time  they  were 
there,  breaking  and  foaming  over  a  rock  on  the  southeastern 
side,  added  to  the  beauty  of  the  picture.  Exceedingly  lofty  moun- 
tains, perhaps  eight  thousand  feet  above  the  sea-level,  stand  near 
the  eastern  shore.  When  their  lofty  steep-sided  summits  appear, 
some  above,  some  below  the  clouds,  the  scene  is  grand.  This 
range  is  called  Milanje ;  on  the  wast  stands  Mount  Zomba,  seven 
thousand  feet  in  height,  and  some  twenty  miles  long." 

Their  object  being  rather  to  gain  the  confidence  of  the 
people  by  degrees,  than  to  explore,  they  considered  that  they 
had  advanced  far  enough  into  the  country  for  one  trip;  and 
l>elieving  that  they  could  secure  their  end  by  a  repetition  of 
their  visit,  as  they  had  done  on  the  Shire,  they  decided  to  re- 
turn to  the  vessel  at  Dakanamoio  island  ;  but,  instead  of  return- 
ing by  the  way  they  came,  they  passed  down  southwards  close 
by  Mount  Chiradzuru,  among  the  relatives  of  Chibisa,  and 
thence  down  to  the  Shire. 

When  they  reached  the  ship,  it  seemed  important,  before 


START   FOR  LAKE  NYASSA.  381 

attempting  further  explorations,  to  return  to  Tete  for  additional 
supplies,  and  it  was  the  28th  of  August  before  tliey  left  their 
craft  under  the  shadow  of  Chibisa's  village  and  set  out  in  search 
of  the  far-famed  Lake  Nyassa.  It  may  not  have  been  necessary 
for  as  many  as  forty-two  men  to  set  forth  on  such  a  journey ; 
but  the  advantage  of  numbers  and  guns,  in  the  impressions  they 
convey  of  strength,  and  the  lessons  they  suggest  of  kindness  and 
politeness,  more  than  makes  up  for  the  greater  trouble  and 
expense  of  their  support.  And  it  was  particularly  important, 
on  this  journey,  that  there  should  be  a  reasonable  display  of 
strength,  because  their  path  lay  across  the  territory  of  most 
unfriendly  people,  with  whom  it  was  of  the  greatest  importance 
that  there  be  no  conflict. 

Following  the  course  of  a  beautifully-flowing  stream,  in  a 
northeasterly  direction  across  the  valley,  they  passed  many  gar- 
dens where  cotton  was  growing  luxuriantly.  An  hour's  march 
brought  them  to  the  foot  of  the  Manganja  hills,  up  which  their 
toilsome  road  must  lead  them.  The  vegetation  changed  as  they 
ascended ;  new  trees  and  plants  received  them ;  and,  as  they 
climbed  higher  and  higher,  a  wider  and  more  charming  land- 
scape stretched  away  behind  thera.  Looking  back  from  an 
elevation  of  a  thousand  feet,  the  eye  could  take  in  the  whole  of 
a  charming  valley,  with  its  silvery  stream  flowing  in  many 
windings  from  the  shadows  of  the  hills  toward  the  Shire.  The 
Shire  itself  could  be  seen  for  many  milas  above  and  below  Chi- 
bisa's, and  the  great  level  country  beyond,  with  its  numerous 
green  woods ;  until  the  prospect  west  and  northwest  ended  on 
tlie  peaks  of  massive  dome-shaped  mountains  that  far  away 
fringe  the  highlands  of  the  Maravi  country.  On  the  first  of 
tlie  terraces  of  these  hills  the  party  found  the  village  of  Chi- 
timba,  nestling  in  a  w^oody  hollow,  and  surrounded  by  the 
characteristic  hedge  of  poisonous  euphorbia,  and  sat  down  under 
some  fine  trees,  as  strangers  are  wont  to  do,  near  the  entrance 
of  the  village.  A  couple  of  mats  were  spread  for  the  white  men 
to  sit  on  ;  and  the  head  man  brought  a  seguati,  or  present,  of  a 
small  goat  and  a  basket  of  meal.  The  full  value  in  beads  and 
cotton  cloth  was  handed  to  him  in  return.  He  measured  the 
cloth,  doubled  it,  and  then  measured  that  again.  The  beads 
were  scrutinized ;  he  had  never  seen  beads  of  that  color  before, 


^2  MANGAXJA   GOVERNMENT. 

and  should  like  to  consult  with  his  comrades  before  accepting 
them,  and  this,  after  repeated  examinations  and  much  anxious 
talk,  he  concluded  to  do.  Meal  and  peas  were  then  brought 
for  sale.  A  brisk  trade  sprang  up  at  once,  each  being  eager  to 
obtain  as  fine  things  as  his  neighbor,  and  all  were  in  good 
humor.  "Women  and  girls  began  to  pound  and  grind  meal,  and 
men  and  boys  chased  the  screaming  fowls  over  the  village,  until 
they  ran  them  down.  In  a  few  hours  the  market  was  cora- 
j)letely  glutted  with  every  sort  of  native  food ;  the  prices,  how- 
ever, rarely  fell,  as  they  could  easily  eat  what  was  not  sold. 

Every  now  and  then,  as  they  pursued  their  way  along  these 
splendid  ranges,  they  passed  the  native  villages  occupying  the 
most  picturesque  situations  and  commanding  splendid  views. 
As  among  the  tribes  generally  in  Africa,  the  villages  of  the 
Manganja  are  generally  the  petty  kingdoms  of  some  head  man, 
and  not  unfrequently  a  man  of  superior  power  extends  his  sway 
over  several  of  those  about  him.  Mankokwe  was  the  para- 
mount chief  of  the  southern  portion  of  the  highlands  at  the  time 
of  Dr.  Livingstone's  visits  ;  but  while  the  people  acknowledged 
his  authority,  he  rarely  collected  the  tribute  due  him,  being  a 
besotted  man,  who  gave  no  thought  to  the  affairs  of  his 
dominion. 

The  Manganja  are  an  industrious  race;  and  in  addition  to 
working  in  iron,  cotton,  and  basket-making,  they  cultivate  tlte 
soil  extensively.  All  the  people  of  a  village  turn  out  to  labor 
in  the  fields.  It  is  no  uncommon  thing  to  see  men,  women  and 
children  hard  at  work,  with  the  baby  lying  close  by  beneath  a 
shady  bush.  When  a  new  piece  of  woodland  is  to  be  cleared, 
they  proceed  exactly  as  farmei*s  do  in  America.  The  trees  are 
cut  down  with  their  little  axes  of  soft  native  iron  ;  trunks  and 
branches  are  piled  up  and  burnt,  and  the  ashes  spread  on  the 
soil.  The  corn  is  planted  among  the  standing  stumps,  which 
are  left  to  rot.  If  grass  land  is  to  be  brought  under  cultivation, 
as  much  tall  grass  as  the  laborer  can  conveniently  lav  hold  of 
is  collected  together  and  tied  into  a  knot.  lie  then  strikes  his 
hoe  round  the  tufts  to  sever  the  roots,  and  leaving  all  standing, 
proceeds  until  the  whole  ground  assumes  the  appearance  of  a 
field  covered  with  little  shocks  of  corn  in  harvest.  A  short 
time  before  the  rains  begin,  these  grass  shocks  are  collected  in 


AFRICAN   COTTON.  383 

srtiall  lieaps,  covered  with  earth,  and  burnt,  the  ashes  and  burnt 
soil  being  used  to  fertilize  the  ground.  Large  crops  of  the 
raapira,  or  Egyptian  dura  {IIolcus  sorghum)  are  raised,  with 
millet,  beans  and  groundnuts ;  also  patches  of  yams,  rice, 
pumpkins,  cucumbers,  cassava,  sweet  potatoes,  tobacco,  and 
liemp,  or  bang  [Cannabis  saiiva).  Maize  is  grown  all  the  year 
round.  Cotton  is  cultivated  at  almost  every  village.  Three 
varieties  of  cotton  have  been  found  iu  the  country,  namely,  two 
foreign  and  one  native.  The  tonje  manga,  or  foreign  cotton, 
tlie  name  showing  that  it  has  been  introduced,  is  of  excellent 
quality,  and  considered  at  Manchester  to  be  nearly  equal  to  the 
best  New  Orleans.  It  is  perennial,  but  requires  replanting  once 
in  three  years.  A  considerable  amount  of  this  variety  is  grown 
in  the  Upper  and  Lower  Shire  valleys.  Every  family  of  any 
importance  owns  a  cotton  patch,  which,  from  the  entire  absence 
of  weeds,  seemed  to  be  carefully  cultivated.  Most  were  small, 
none  seen  on  this  journey  exceeding  half  an  acre;  but  on  t\\e 
former  trip  some  were  observed  of  more  than  twice  that  size. 

The  tonje  cadja,  or  indigenous  cotton,  is  of  shorter  staple,  and 
feels  in  the  hand  like  wool.  This  kind  has  to  be  planted  every 
season,  in  the  highlands ;  yet,  because  it  makes  stronger  cloth, 
many  of  the  people  prefer  itf  to  the  foreign  cotton ;  the  third 
variety  is  not  found  here.  It  was  remarked  to  a  number  of 
men  near  the  Shire  lakelet,  a  little  farther  on  towards  Nyassa, 
"You  should  plant  plenty  of  cotton,  and  probably  the  English 
will  come  and  buy  it."  "  Truly,"  replied  a  far-travelled  Babisa 
trader  to  his  fellows,  "the  country  is  full  of  cotton,  and  if  tliese 
people  come  to  buy  they  will  enrich  us."  And  it  is  encourag- 
ing to  know  that  the  observation  of  the  party  inclined  them  to 
give  much  credit  to  his  statement.  Though  it  may  seem  like 
an  idle  flourish,  they  hardly  ever  entered  a  village  without 
finding  a  number  of  men  cleaning,  spinning  and  weaving.  It 
is  first  carefully  separated  from  the  seed  by  the  fingers,  or  by 
an  iron  roller,  on  a  little  block  of  wood,  and  rove  out  into  long 
aofl  bands  without  twist.  Then  it  receives  its  first  twist  on  the 
spindle,  and  becomes  about  the  thickness  of  coarse  candlewick ; 
after  being  taken  off  and  wound  into  a  large  ball,  it  is  given  th^ 
final  hard  twist,  and  spun  into  a  firm  cop  on  the  spindle  again ; 
aU  the  processes  being  painfully  slow. 


384  MANGANJA   INDUSTRIES. 

Iron  ore  is  dug  out  of  the  hills,  and  its  manufacture  is  the 
staple  trade  of  the  southern  highlands.  Each  village  has  its 
smelting-house,  its  charcoal-burners,  and  blacksmiths.  They 
make  good  axes,  spears,  needles,  arrow-heads,  bracelets  and 
anklets,  which,  considering  the  entire  absence  of  machinery,  are 
sold  at  surprisingly  low  rates ;  a  hoe  over  two  pounds  in  weight 
is  exchanged  for  calico  of  about  the  value  of  fourpence.  In 
villages  near  Lake  Shirwa  and  elsewhere,  the  inhabitants  enter 
pretty  largely  into  the  manufacture  of  crockery,  or  pottery, 
making  by  hand  all  sorbs  of  cooking,  water,  and  grain  pots, 
which  they  ornament  with  plumbago  found  in  the  hills.  Some 
find  employment  in  weaving  neat  baskets  from  split  bamboos, 
and  others  collect  the  fibre  of  the  buaze,  which  grows  abun- 
dantly on  the  hills,  and  make  it  into  fish-nets.  These  they 
either  use  themselves,  or  exchange  with  the  fishermen  on  the 
river  or  lakes  for  dried  fish  and  salt.  A  great  deal  of  native 
trade  is  carried  on  between  the  villages,  by  means  of  barter  in 
tobacco,  salt,  dried  fish,  skins  and  iron. 

The  Manganja  were  found  to  be  generally  a  pleasant  people, 
and  happily  for  some  members  of  the  expedition  they  were  able 
almost  to  forget  color  in  associating  with  them.  There  were 
peculiarities,  however,  which  in  ^he  society  of  civilized  com- 
munities would  constitute  a  distinction  almost  as  marked  as 
color  itself;  fashions  control  communities  more  uncompromis- 
ingly than  natural  conditions,  if  possible,  and  the  fashions  which 
distinguished  the  Manganja  would  hardly  find  a  follower  even 
among  the  most  eager  hunters  of  novelty.  There  were  the  bu^ 
faloes'  horns  and  the  rhinoceros  horns  which  were  found  else- 
where; some  also  had  their  wool  hanging  about  their  shoulders, 
wiiile  others  still  appeared  shorn  entirely,  and,  true  to  their 
natures,  there  was  an  illimitable  indulgence  in  bodily  ornament; 
they  adorned  themselves  most  extravagantly,  wearing  rinjgs  on 
tlieir  fingers  and  thumbs,  besides  throatlets,  bracelets,  and  anklets 
of  brass,  copper,  or  iron.  But  the  most  wonderful  of  ornaments, 
if  such  it  may  be  called,  is  the  pelele,  or  upper-lip  ring  of  tlie 
women.  The  middle  of  the  upper  lip  of  the  girls  is  piercal 
close  to  the  septum  of  the  nose,  and  a  small  pin  inserted  to  pre- 
vent the  puncture  closing  up.  After  it  has  healed,  the  pin  iS 
taken  out  and  a  larger  one  is  pressed  into  its  place,  and  so  op 


>v;'^^^^^ 


A  SINGULAR  FANCY. 


387 


successively  for  weeks,  and  months,  and  years.  The  process  of 
increasing  the  size  of  the  lip  goes  on  till  its  capacity  becomes  so 
great  that  a  ring  of  two  inches  diameter  can  be  introduced  with 
ease.  All  the  highland  women  wear  the  pelele,  and  it  is  com- 
mon on  the  Upper  and  I^ower  Shire;  and  everywhere  it  is  ac- 
counted a  matchless  charm.  The  fair  belle  of  our  great  cities 
clings  not  more  fondly  to  the  sparkling  jewel  on  her  breast,  or 
the  pendants  of  pearl  which  adorn  her  ears,  than  do  these  Afri- 
can beauties  (?)  maintain  the  excellence  of  the  pelele.  They 
need  no  better  justification  of  their  custom  than  "it  is  fashion;" 
and  why  should  they  go  further  than  that?  can  civilization  sug- 
gest the  modification  of  a  custom  which  is  a  matter  of  established 
fashion  ?  Will  not  even  the  church  of  to-day  admit  that  the 
fact  of  the  fashion  answers  all  objections  to  anything  ?  A  bright 
idea  struck  Livingstone  on  observing  the  younger  women  con- 
stantly twaddling  this  queer  pendant  with  their  tongues,  and  it 
is  a  question  whether,  if  the  idea  is  "to  find  safe  employment 
for  that  little  member,"  it  may  not  receive  the  indorsement  of 
the  gentlemen  of  the  land  we  live  in.  The  frequent  mention 
of  beer,  among  the  abundant  commodities  of  the  country,  may 
have  suggested  the  suspicion  already,  that  the  Mauganja  would 
hardly  pay  a  hundred  cents  on  the  dollar  as  temperance  candi- 
dates for  our  respect.  Dr.  Livingstone  remarked  to  his  associates 
that  he  had  not  seen  so  much  drunkenness  during  sixteen  years 
in  Africa  as  he  saw  among  these  people.  As  they  crossed,  the 
party  sometimes  found  whole  villages  revelling  in  their  favorite 
indulgence,  and  the  drinking,  drumming  and  dancing,  with 
which  they  insist  on  hailing  the  morning,  would  put  the  most 
accomplished  priests  of  Bacchus  to  the  blush.  The  party  entered 
a  village  one  afternoon  where  every  man  had  fallen  in  the  action  ; 
not  one  was  to  be  seen,  and  the  only  indications  of  life  were  the 
few  half-conscious  women  who  were  still  by  the  beer-[X)ts  under 
•a  tree.  There,  as  here,  the  serpent  excites  every  man  to  the 
extravagance  of  his  ruling  passion,  and  they  have  topers,  talka- 
tive, boisterous,  silly,  stupid  and  pugnacious.  One  of  these 
pugnacious  specimens  on  one  occasion  attempting  to  arrest  the 
party  in  their  journey,  subjected  himself  to  a  very  pointed  lesson 
on  politeness  by  one  of  the  Makololo  who  had  as  little  con- 
science about  using  his  spear  on  a  man  as  on  an  ox.     The  bev- 


388  SUPERSTITION   AND   RELIGION. 

erage  on  which  these  poor  people  were  debauching  themselves 
so  sadly  was  found  really  a  pleasant  and  refreshing  article,  and 
one  which  could  hardly  be  suspected  of  such  dreadful  effects  to 
the  traveller  who  only  used  it  moderately. 

The  people  are  attached  to  their  homes,  and  there  will  rarely 
be  found  a  roving  disposition  among  them.  The  Makololo 
were  astonished  that  even  a  prominent  chief  should  never  have 
a  "fit  of  travelling  come  over  him  :  should  never  have  a  desire 
to  see  other  lands  and  people."  They  sit  within  their  hedge  of 
euphorbia  as  securely  as  within  a  wall  of  stone,  and  often  live 
to  very  great  age;  and,  to  the  great  horror  of  the  hydropathists, 
they  cannot  attribute  a  single  day  of  their  ages  to  the  yielding 
element ;  they  perform  no  ablutions ;  one  old  man  thought  he 
could  remember  having  "  washed  once  in  his  life,  but  so  long 
before  that  he  had  forgotten  how  it  felt." 

Superstition,  of  course,  had  its  plac-e  in  the  lives  of  the  Man- 
ganja.  The  muave  was  there,  too,  the  uncompromising  judge 
between  men  in  all  their  disputes ;  it  was  depended  on  to  detect 
the  guilty  party,  and  such  was  the  universal  confidence  in  tlie 
correctness  of  its  decisions  that  innocent  complainants  did  not 
hesitate  a  moment  in  resorting  to  its  mysterious  bar.  But  though 
they  so  eagerly  appeal  to  the  dreadful  poison  in  defence  of  their 
characters,  the  grave  is  overshadowed  by  the  darkness  and  mys- 
tery which  everywhere  saddens  so  bitterly  the  wailings  of  be- 
reaved ignorance.  "  We  live  only  a  few  days  here,"  said  old 
Chinsunse,  "  but  we  live  again  after  death ;  we  do  not  know 
where,  or  in  what  condition,  or  with  what  companions,  for  the 
dead  never  return  to  tell  us.  Sometimes  the  dead  do  come  back, 
and  appear  to  us  in  dreams ;  but  they  never  speak  nor  tell  us 
where  they  have  gone,  nor  how  they  fare." 

The  splendid  country  of  Manganja  offered  none  of  those  ad- 
ventures with  ferocious  beasts  which  some  readers  are  on  the 
look  out  for  in  accounts  of  such  expeditions,  but  the  charming" 
landscapes  and  fertile  gardens  were  objects  of  greater  interest. 
They  were  a  week  in  crossing  these  hills. 

The  impossibility  of  carrying  their  boat  by  the  cataract.<?, 
which  begin  a  few  miles  from  Chibisa's  village,  had  compelled 
them  to  forego  the  more  distinguished  mode  of  travelling  for  a 
time ;  but  they  were  certainly  well  i^leased  with  the  change  which 


"it  is  down  in  a  book."  389 

unfolded  to  them  the  grand  panorama  of  tropical  nature  which 
invited  their  unwearying  gaze. 

The  cataracts  which  we  liave  mentioned  had  been  discovered 
some  time  before,  and  distinguished  by  the  honorable  name  of 
the  generous  friend  of  geographical  science,  who  had  also  proven 
himself  a  true  friend  of  Dr.  Livingstone.  Murchison's  cataracts 
extend  through  thirty-five  miles  of  latitude,  having  in  thisdistance 
about  twelve  hundred  feet  fall.  Above  the  cataracts,  as  below, 
the  river  was  found  broad  and  easily  navigable,  and  guided  the 
explorers  in  their  search  for  the  great  lake.  It  is  hardly  to  be 
expected  that  even  so  short  a  journey  could  be  performed  with- 
out the  discouragements  which  men  ever  lavish  on  new  enter- 
prises, and  the  African  was  not  behind  the  foremost  man  on  the 
list  in  the  readiness  with  which  he  finds  the  explanation  of  every 
momentous  undertaking  in  the  folly  of  its  leader.  One  of  these 
pests  joined  himself  to  the  party  in  the  Upper  Shire  valley,  and 
annoyed  them  by  telling  the  residents  that  "  all  of  these  men  " 
had  loanderedy  "gone  mad,"  and  knew  not  where  they  were 
going.  There  was  a  more  serious  discouragement,  however,  in 
the  assurance  which  they  received  at  the  village  of  Muana 
Moesa  that  the  lake  had  never  been  heard  of  there,  but  that  th« 
river  stretched  on  as  they  saAV  it  the  distance  of  two  months, 
and  then  came  out  from  between  rocks  which  towered  almost  to 
the  skies.  The  Makololo  looked  blank  when  they  heard  this, 
and  said,  "  Let  us  go  back  to  the  ship;  it  is  of  no  use  trying  to 
find  the  lake."  ''  We  shall  go  and  see  those  wonderful  rocks 
at  any  rate,"  said  the  doctor.  "And  when  you  see  them,"  re- 
plied Masakasa,  "you  will  just  want  to  see  something  else." 
"  But  there  is  a  lake,"  rejoined  Masakasa,  "  for  all  their  deny- 
ing it,  for  it  is  down  in  a  book."  Masakasa,  having  unbounded 
faith  in  whatever  was  in  a  book,  went  and  scolded  the  natives 
for  telling  him  an  untruth.  "  There  is  a  lake,"  said  he,  "  for 
how  could  the  white  men  know  about  it  in  a  book  if  it  did  not 
exist?" 

Such  uncalled-for  attempts  at  deception  might  have  been  as 
provoking  to  Dr.  Livingstone  as  they  were  to  his  Makololo,  but 
he  had  thought  more  about  human  nature  than  they,  and  could 
more  easily  understand  and  more  readily  pity  such  exhibitions 
among  people  so  untaught.     It  is  lamentable  that  the  grandest 


390  DISCOVERY  OF   NYASSA. 

undertakings  must  be  accomplished  over  the  opposition  of  the 
very  people  who  are  to  be  the  recipients  of  its  richest  benefits. 
The  perversity  of  human  nature  invites  our  compassion ;  it  ought 
not  to  provoke  our  impatience,  or  weaken  our  resolutions.  Liv- 
ingstone and  his  party  pressed  on  and  discovered  Lake  Nyassa, 
a  little  before  noon  on  the  16th  of  September,  1859,  about  two 
months  before  the  enterprising  Dr.  Roscher  reached  its  northern 
end.  The  southern  extremity  of  the  lake  was  found  to  be  in 
14°  25'  south  latitude,  and  35°  30'  east  longitude.  The  valley 
was  about  twelve  miles  wide,  and  ranges  of  hills  extend  along 
both  sides  of  the  lake.'  It  was  not  their  policy  to  continue  long 
at  the  lake,  because  they  had  found  that  repeated  visits  did  more 
toward  allaying  the  suspicions  of  the  natives  and  engaging  their 
confidence.  The  little  time  that  they  were  there  was  long  enough 
to  reveal  the  fact  that  they  had  reached  one  of  the  great  slave- 
paths  from  the  interior.  They  met  a  party  headed  by  Arabs,  a 
villanous-looking  set,  whose  whole  demeanor  indicated  their 
capacity  for  those  deeds  of  cruelty  which  are  inseparably  con- 
nected with  this  revolting  business. 

In  turning  their  steps  again  to  their  ship,  the  members  of  the 
expedition  agreed  with  Dr.  Livingstone  that,  except  the  cataracts, 
there  was  nothing  in  the  way  of  free  water  transportation  from 
the  sea  to  the  great  lake,  and  they  were  earnest  in  their  ap})eal 
to  the  home  government  for  a  boat  to  be  launched  on  the  Upper 
Shire,  to  ply  along  that  portion  of  the  river  and  along  the  lake. 
They  felt  confident  that  a  single  steamer  on  the  lake  would  do 
more  than  any  other  single  agency  in  impressing  the  peo}>le 
favorably,  and  in  checking  the  slave-trade  which  had  its  great 
crossing  places  at  different  points  on  the  river  and  lake.  Filled 
with  the  inspiration  of  these  noble  aspirations  and  rejoicing  in 
the  hope  to  their  realization,  they  hastened  southward,  and  re- 
joined their  party  at  Chibisa's  on  the  6th  of  October,  after  a 
land  journey  of  forty  days. 

From  Chibisa,  Dr.  Kirk  and  Mr.  Rae,  the  engineer,  under- 
took to  cross  the  country  and  meet  their  friends  again  at  Tetc. 
The  passage  down  the  stream  was  full  of  such  mournful  interest 
as  belongs  to  tormenting  delays  inseparable  from  a  leaking  craft 
and  daily  conflicts  with  sandbanks.  After  a  time  they  entered 
the  Zambesi,  and  landed  at  Tete  February  2d,   1860.     Tlie 


ACROSS  THE   COUNTRY.  391 

journey  of  Dr.  Kirk  across  the  country,  comparatively  short, 
was  accomplished  with  great  difficulty  and  extreme  suffering. 
It  was  the  season  of  the  year  when  there  is  the  greatest  scarcity 
of  water,  and  the  little  to  be  found  by  digging  in  the  beds  of 
dry  watercourses  was  so  brackish  that  it  increascxl  the  thirst 
which  they  sought  to  allay ;  and  when,  at  long  intervals,  that 
clianced  to  be  found  which  was  less  brackish,  it  had  already  be- 
come the  resort  of  large  game  whose  unscrupulous  habits  of 
wallowing  in  the  mud  left  only  the  choice  of  a  filthy  draught 
for  a  salt  one.  The  country  was  level,  and  large  tracts  of  it 
were  covered  with  mopane  trees,  whose  small  leaves  afforded  no 
shelter  from  the  scorching  rays  of  the  sun,  which  burnt  off  the 
grass  and  baked  the  earth.  The  heat  was  so  great  that  the  men 
frequently  jumped  from  the  path  in  the  vain  hope  of  cooling 
their  scorched  feet.  The  fat  was  melted  away  from  the  salt  pork 
which  was  carried  by  one  of  the  natives,  and  only  the  fibre  of 
the  meat  remained.  But  even  this  path  was  hardly  known  at 
Tete  before  it  became  the  highway  along  which  merciless  traders 
drove  their  human  cattle  toward  a  market. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

JOURNEYS  OF   HONOR. 

Regard  for  Obligations— Busy  Preparations — Market  Prices  at  Tete— Singulai 
Measures — Social  Turn — Evening  Gatlierings — Peculiar  "  Tea-Parties  " — Ma- 
kololo  Objections  to  Leaving  Tete— Their  Gains  and  Losses— The  Outfit- 
Journey  Begun — Linyanti — Sekeletu— The  Mission — Graves — Explanation  of 
Failure — Livingstone's  Confidence — Hope  Unshaken — Makololo  Faithfulness 
-  Attentions— Growing  Disaffection — Seaward  Again — Tete — The  Kongone— 
The  "Pioneer"  Arrives — The  Rovuma — Return  to  the  Shire — The  "  University's 
Mission  "—Their  Misfortunes  —  War  Prevailing  —  The  Slave-Trade  —  Lake 
Nyassa — The  Lake  Tribes— Shupanga — Death  of  Mrs.  Livingstone. 

It  has  been  observed  by  those  who  have  become  at  all  familiar 
■pritli  the  life  of  Dr.  Livingstone  that  he  considered  no  difficulty 
or  danger  an  apology  for  the  neglect  of  any  duty.  However 
charitably  he  may  have  regarded  the  shortcomings  of  others,  he 
held  himself  by  the  most  unrelenting  laws  ;  his  inherited  maxim 
was  engraved  on  his  heart.  He  knew  that  the  chief  who 
had  three  years  before  confided  his  ivory  and  his  people  to  him 
would  depend  on  his  word,  and  every  consideration  forced  on 
him  the  obligation  to  honor  that  confidence  by  the  faithful  per- 
formance of  his  obligation.  There  seemed  to  be  no  reason  why 
the  journey  should  be  longer  deferred,  and  preparations  were 
accordingly  begun  for  a  journey  of  honor  from  Tete  to  Linyanti. 
The  "  Ma-Robert "  was  in  the  last  stages  of  inefficiency  ;  she  had 
become  intolerably  leaky,  and  the  den  of  innumerable  rats  and 
roaches,  and  the  best  that  could  be  done  with  her  was  to  resign 
her  to  their  undisputed  dominion. 

In  the  midst  of  the  busy  preparations  for  th?s  journey  there 
was  very  little  opportunity  for  much  else,  and  only  such  events 
in  Tete  life  as  came  conspicuously  before  them  received  atten- 
tion. But  a  man  so  deeply  interested  in  the  condition  of  the 
people,  and  the  influences  under  which  they  were  living,  is  na- 
turally interested  in  the  rare  specimen  of  authority  which  was 
just  then  making  a  little  ripple  on  the  surface  of  the  ordinarily 
392 


MARKET   PRICES   AT  TETE.  393 

dull  community.  Owing  to  the  desolating  wars  of  former  years, 
the  cost  of  provisions  was  nearly  throe  tinieg  as  much  as  in  by- 
gone days ;  so  his  excellency  determined  to  reduce  prices  to  their 
former  standard,  and  proclaimed  that  in  future  twenty-four  fowls 
instead  of  eight  were  to  be  sold  for  two  yards  of  calico,  and  that 
the  prices  of  sheep,  goats,  and  oil  should  be  reduced  in  like 
])roportion.  The  first  native  who  came  to  market  refused  to 
sell  his  fowls  at  government  prices,  and  was  at  once  hauled  up 
.  before  the  irate  commandant,  and,  for  contumacy  to  this  new 
re-enactment  of  old  laws,  condemned  to  be  marched  up  and 
down  the  street  all  day,  with  his  cackling  merchandise  hung 
round  his  neck,  and  then  sent  to  prison  to  pass  the  night.  An- 
other poor  fellow  brought  a  pot  of  groundnut-oil  for  sale,  and 
■was  condemned  to  drink  of  it  largely  for  refusing  to  sell  it  at 
the  legal  rate. 

Such  measures  did  very  well  as  an  expression  of  his  excel- 
lency's animus,  but  they  were  impotent  so  far  as  any  general 
influence  on  the  market  was  concerned.  The  natives  simply  de- 
clined to  bring  their  possessions  to  the  village  under  the  circum- 
stances, and  while  the  country  is  claimed  with  a  great  show  of 
dignity  by  the  Portuguese,  the  tax  collectors,  who  should  ven- 
ture to  invade  the  back  country  for  the  dues  of  their  master, 
would  probably  be  called  on  to  pay  the  "  hist  debt^'  before  col- 
lecting the  first  one.  Besides  the  funerals  and  weddings,  Avhicli 
are  reckoned  among  the  institutions  of  the  place,  the  "  tea- 
parties"  are  perhaps  as  characteristic  of  the  mercantile  commu- 
nity. They  are  of  a  "  social  turn,"  and  these  evening  parties  are 
quite  popular  with  them,  and  if  any  man  would  know  of  the 
climate  of  Tete,  the  expedition  supports  us  in  advising  him  to 
select  a  "tea-party"  for  his  investigations;  nowhere  may  he 
hope  to  witness  so  satisfactorily  the  strangely  debilitating  effects. 
Of  such  an  occasion  Dr.  Livingstone  says  : 

"  In  the  course  of  an  hour  a  number  of  the  members  become 
too  feeble  to  sit  in  their  chairs,  and  slip  unconsciously  under  the 
table;  while  others,  who  have  been  standing  up  loudly  singing 
or  talking,  fall  into  one  another's  arms,  swearing  eternal  friend- 
ship, but  gradually  losing  control  both  of  tongue  and  limb. 
Slaves  sit  at  the  door,  who,  understanding  these  symptoms,  enter 
and  bear  their  weak  and  prostrate  masters  home.  We  should 
20 


394  A   TEA   PARTY   AT   TETE. 

not  hesitate  to  ascribe  these  symptoms  to  inebriety,  if  intoxica- 
tion was  not  describQd  here  by  the  phrase  '  he  speaks  English,* 
that  is,  *  he's  drunk  ; '  so  that  any  such  charge  would  have  the 
appearance  of  a  tu  quoque.  Tlie  shocking  prevalence  of  intem- 
perance and  other  vices  among  the  Portuguese  at  Tete  made  us 
wonder,  not  that  they  liad  fever,  but  that  they  were  not  all 
swept  off  together.  Their  habits  would  be  fatal  in  any  climate; 
the  natives  marvelled  even  more  than  we  did ;  our  INIakololo, 
for  instance,  looked  on  aghast  at  these  convivial  parties,  and 
Sininyane  described  one  in  a  way  that  might  have  done 
the  actors  good.  'A  Portuguese  stands  up,'  said  he,  'and 
cries  Viva !  that  means,  I  am  pleased ;  another  says,  Viva ! 
I  am  pleased  too ;  and  then  they  all  shout  out  Viva !  we  are 
all  pleased  together;  they  are  so  glad  just  to  get  a  little  beer.' 
One  night  he  saw  three  inebriated  officers  in  the  midst  of  their 
enjoyment  quarrelling  about  a  false  report ;  one  jumped  on  his 
superior  and  tried  to  bite  him  ;  and,  whilst  these  two  were  roll- 
ing on  the  floor,  the  third  caught  up  a  chair  and  therewith 
pounded  them  both.  Siuinyane,  horrified  at  such  conduct,  ex- 
claimed, '  What  kind  of  people  can  these  whites  be,  who  treat 
even  their  chiefs  in  this  manner  ?  '  " 

As  the  preparations  for  their  departure  progressed,  it  was  dis- 
covered that  some  of  those  who  had  come  down  from  the  Mako- 
lolo  country  with  Dr.  Livingstone  had  become  so  identified  with 
their  temporary  home  that  they  were  not  inclined  to  return. 
Many  had  taken  up  with  slave-women,  whom  they  assisted  in 
hoeing,  and  in  consuming  the  produce  of  their  gardens.  Some 
fourteen  children  had  been  born  to  them  ;  and  in  consequence 
of  now  having  no  chief  to  order  them,  or  to  claim  their  services, 
they  thought  they  were  about  as  well  off  as  they  had  been  in 
their  own  country.  They  knew  and  regretted  that  they  could 
call  neither  Mives  nor  children  their  own ;  the  slave-owners 
claimed  the  whole ;  but  their  natural  affections  had  been  so  en- 
chained that  they  clave  to  the  domestic  ties.  By  a  law  of  Por- 
tugal the  baptized  children  of  slave-women  are  all  free;  by  the 
custom  of  the  Zambesi  that  law  is  void.  When  it  is  referred  to, 
the  officers  laugh,  ajid  say,  "  These  Lisbon-born  laws  are  very 
string(!nt,  but  somehow,  possibly  from  the  heat  of  the  climate, 
here  thcv  lose  all  their  force." 


PREPARATIONS   FOR   JOURNEY.  390 

It  will  not  be  forgotten  that  these  men  were  only  called 
Makololo ;  the  only  real  member  of  that  tribe  since  the  death  of 
Sekeletu  in  the  whole  party  was  Ivanyanta,  on  whom  the  leader- 
ship now  devolved,  the  others  belonging  to  other  tribes  which 
had  been  added  to  the  dominion  of  Sebituane.  Many  of  theiro 
men  had  only  added  to  their  own  vices  those  of  the  Tete  slaves 
Avith  whom  they  had  been  in  contact;  others,  by  toiling  during 
the  first  two  years  in  navigating  canoes  and  hunting  elepliants, 
had  often  managed  to  save  a  little  to  take  back  to  their  own 
country,  but  had  to  part  with  it  all  for  food  to  support  the  rest 
in  tiraesof  hunger,  and,  latterly,  had  fallen  into  the  improvident 
habits  of  slaves,  and  spent  their  surplus  earnings  in  beer  and 
agua  ardiente. 

Under  such  circumstances  it  was  quite  an  undertaking  to  got 
so  many  men  in  marching  trim  ;  but  the  Makololo,  who  had 
worked  for  the  expedition,  were  paid  f  >r  their  services,  and  every 
one  who  had  come  down  with  the  doctor  from  the  interior  re- 
ceived a  present  of  cloth  and  ornaments,  in  order  to  protect  thcui 
from  the  greater  cold  of  their  own  country,  and  to  show  that 
they  had  not  come  in  vain.  A  merchant  sent  three  men  along 
with  presents  for  Sekeletu.  Major  Sicard  also  furnished  three 
men  to  assist  the  party  on  their  return,  and  having  received  the 
loan  of  a  couple  of  donkeys  completed  their  preparations,  and 
at  2  P.M.  on  the  15th  of  May  their  party  filed  away  from  the 
little  village  north  of  Tete.  The  journey  was  varied  with  in- 
cidents inseparable  from  African  life,  but  being  along  almost 
the  same  route  by  which  we  have  already  followed  the  leader 
of  the  expedition  in  his  former  travels,  hardly  justifies  the  minute 
attention  of  those  who  are  eager  for  information  as  extensive  as 
may  be  of  the  great  continent. 

Three  months  after  leaving  Tete  the  party  entered  Sesheke ; 
great  changes  had  taken  place  during  Dr.  Livingstone's  absence 
of  four  years.  The  old  town  was  in  ruins,  and  the  people  had 
built  another  higher  up  the  river;  the  people  were  all  in  low 
spirits  ;  Sekeletu  was  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  the  victim 
of  a  dreadful  disea.se.  A  severe  drought  had  cut  off  the  crops, 
and  destroyed  the  pasture  of  Linyanti,  and  the  people  were  scat- 
tered over  the  country  in  search  of  wild  fruits,  and  the  hospitality 
of  those  whose  groundnuts  {Arachis  hypogced)  had  not  failed. 


396  THE   MAKOLOLO   COUNTRY." 

Sekeletn's  leprosy  brought  troops  of  evils  in  its  train.  Believ- 
ing himself  bewitched,  he  had  suspected  a  number  of  his  chief 
men,  and  had  put  some,  with  their  families,  to  death ;  others 
had  fled  to  distant  tribes  and  were  living  in  exile.  The  chief 
had  shut  himself  up,  and  allowed  no  one  to  come  into  his  pres- 
ence but  his  uncle  Mamire.  Ponwane,  who  had  been  as  "  head 
and  eyes"  to  him,  had  just  died  ;  evidence,  he  thought,  of  the 
potent  spells  of  those  who  hated  all  who  loved  the  chief.  The 
country  was  suffering  grievously,  and  Sebituane's  grand  empire 
was  crumbling  to  pieces.  A  large  body  of  young  Barotse  had 
revolted  and  fled  to  the  north,  killing  a  man  by  the  way, 
in  order  to  put  a  blood-feud  between  Masiko,  the  chief  to  whom 
they  were  going,  and  Sekeletu.  The  Batoka  under  Sinamane 
and  Muemba  were  independent,  and  Mashotlane  at  the  falls 
was  setting  Sekeletu's  authority  virtually  at  defiance.  Sebituane's 
wise  policy  in  treating  the  conquered  tribes  on  equal  terms  wath 
his  own  Makololo,  as  all  children  of  the  chief,  and  equally  elig- 
ible to  the  highest  honors,  had  been  abandoned  by  his  son,  who 
married  none  but  Makololo  women,  and  appointed  to  office  none 
but  Makololo  men.  He  had  become  unpopular  among  the 
black  tribes,  conquered  by  the  spear  but  more  effectually  wou  by 
the  subsequent  wise  and  just  government  of  his  father. 

The  utter  overthrow  of  the  Makololo  dominion,  which  was 
only  four  years  in  the  future,  was  strongly  foreshadowed  in  the 
increasing  discontent  of  the  people.  Strange  rumors  were  afloat 
respecting  the  unseen  Sekeletu ;  his  fingers  were  said  to  have 
grown  like  eagle's  claws,  and  his  face  so  frightfully  distorted 
that  no  one  could  recognize  him.  Some  had  begun  to  hint  that 
he  might  not  really  be  the  son  of  the  great  Sebituane,  the  founder 
of  the  nation,  strong  in  battle  and  wise  in  the  affairs  of  state. 
''  In  the  days  of  the  Great  Lion  (Sebituane),"  said  his  only  sister, 
Moriantsiane's  widow,  whose  husband  Sekeletu  had  killed,  "we 
had  chiefs  and  little  chiefs  and  elders  to  carry  on  the  govern- 
ment, and  the  great  chief,  Sebituane,  knew  them  all,  and  every- 
thing thoy  did,  and  the  whole  country  was  wisely  ruled;  but 
now  Sekeletu  knows  nothing  of  what  his  underlings  do,  and 
they  care  not  for  him,  and  the  Makololo  power  is  fast  passing 
away." 

The  native  doctors  had  given  the  case  of  Sekeletu  up.     They 


SICKNESS   OF   SEKELETU.  397 

could  not  cure  him,  and  pronounced  the  disease  incurable.  An  old 
doctress  from  the  Manyeti  tribe  had  come  to  see  what  she  could 
do  for  him,  and  on  her  skill  he  now  hung  his  last  hopes.  She 
allowed  no  one  to  see  him  except  his'  mother  and  uncle,  making- 
entire  seclusion  from  society  an  essential  condition  of  the  much 
longed-for  cure.  He  sent,  notwithstanding,  for  the  doctor,  who 
found  him  on  the  following  day  sitting  in  a  covered  wagon, 
which  was  enclosed  by  a  high  wall  of  close-set  reeds;  his  face 
was  only  slightly  disfigured  by  the  thickening  of  the  skin  in 
parts,  where  the  leprosy  had  passed  over  it ;  and  the  only  pecu- 
liarity about  his  hands  was  the  extreme  length  of  his  finger- 
nails, which,  however,  was  nothing  very  much  out  of  the  way, 
as  all  the  Makololo  gentlemen  wear  them  uncommonly  long. 
She  was  firmly  convinced  that  he  had  been  bewitched.  "  Mori- 
antsiane,"  said  he,  "  my  aunt's  husband,  tried  the  bewitching 
medicine  first  on  his  wife,  and  she  is  leprous,  and  so  is  her  head- 
servant;  then,  seeing  that  it  succeeded,  he  gave  me  a  stronger 
dose  in  the  cooked  flesh  of  a  goat,  and  I  have  had  the  disease 
ever  since.  They  have  lately  killed  Ponwane,  and,  as  you  see, 
are  now  killing  me."  Ponwane  had  died  of  fever  a  short  time 
previously.  Sekeletu  asked  for  medicine  and  medical  attend- 
ance, but  the  doctor  did  not  like  to  take  the  case  out  of  the 
hands  of  the  female  physician  already  employed,  it  being  bad 
policy  to  appear  to  undervalue  any  of  the  profession;  and  she, 
being  anxious  to  go  on  with  her  remedies,  said,  "She  had  not 
given  him  up  yet,  but  would  try  for  another  month  and  if  lie 
was  not  cured  by  that  time  she  would  hand  him  over  to  the 
white  doctors."  She  was,  however,  induced  to  resign  her  place 
earlier,  and  the  superior  skill  of  her  successors  soon  alleviated 
the  sufferings  of  the  young  chief  considerably,  but  it  had  already 
become  too  deeply  rooted,  and  they  could  only  lament  in  their 
hearts  that  the  glory  which  the  wise  Sebituane  had  bequeathed 
to  his  people  should  go  down  under  the  inefficiency  of  a  chief 
whose  vices  had  bound  him  in  cords  so  painful  and  so  fatal. 

But  incidents  of  deeper  interest  even  than  the  illness  of  Seke- 
letu and  the  disaffection  of  his  people  had  been  wrought  into 
the  history  of  Linyanti  since  Dr.  Livingstone  was  there.  It 
will  be  remembered  they  had  expressed  a  desire  that  a  mission- 
ary might  come  and  live  with  them,  and  had  committed  them- 


S98  THE   MISSION. 

.selves  to  a  removal  from  their  deadly  swamps  to  some  healthier 
locality.  It  had  seemed  very  desirable  to  establish  a  mission 
among  these  people  because  of  the  extent  of  their  dominion,  and 
because  at  their  capital  Christian  teachers  would  be  in  constant 
intercourse  with  representatives  of  numerous  tribes.  Accord- 
ingly, the  London  Missionary  Society,  under  whose  auspices  the 
exploration  of  their  country  had  been  effected,  undertook  the 
work  of  establishing  a  mission  at  the  town  of  Linyanti,  and 
appointed  Rev.  Halloway  Helmore,  who  had  been  seventeen 
years  a  missionary  among  the  Bechuanas,  and  associated  with 
him  Messrs.  Mackenzie  and  Price.  These  younger  men,  accom- 
panied by  gentle  and  true-hearted  wives,  who  ventured  to  hope 
that  they  could  go  where  Mrs.  Livingstone  had  gone,  left  Eng- 
land in  June,  1858,  and  in  July  landed  at  the  Cape.  After 
many  trying  experiences,  the  mission  party  at  last  reached  the 
scene  of  their  appointment,  in  February,  1860.  In  August, 
when  Dr.  Livingstone  arrived,  there  was  only  the  sad  story  of 
their  effort  and  a  number  of  graves.  They  had  come  on  the 
ground  in  the  most  unfavorable  season,  and  from  the  time  of 
their  arrival  were  the  victims  of  the  prevailing  fever  of  the  place. 
The  account  of  their  sufferings  is  a  discouraging  page  in  the 
history  of  African  missions,  but  we  can  hardly  yield  the  con- 
victions which  have  grown  on  us  in  following  the  experience  of 
Dr.  Livingstone  through  the  years  of  his  intercourse  with  the 
JMakololo.  The  illness  and  bereavement  through  which  the 
survivor  of  the  enterprise  regarded  the  people  could  hardly  fiil 
to  give  a  darker  shade  to  their  characters.  They  doubtless  suf- 
fered some  wrongs  in  addition  to  t^ie  ravages  of  disease,  but  we 
would  much  rather  find  the  explanation  of  their  sickness  in  the 
deadly  exhalations  of  the  neighboring  swamps  than  accept  the 
suggestion  of  poisoning ;  and  with  the  accounts  of  Rev.  John 
Mackenzie  and  the  "Travels  of  Livingstone"  both  before  him, 
we  arc  convinced  that  a  candid  reader  would  feel  confident  that 
the  (;onduct  of  the  people  toward  Mr.  Price,  after  the  death  of 
Mr.  Ilelmore,  might  have  found  an  explanation  in  some  mis- 
understanding or  mistake  which  would  shield  the  actors  from 
the  charge  of  so  ungenerously  plundering  a  bereaved  and  suffcF- 
ing  guest.  Certainly,  however  s+rongly  the  trials  ^nd  losses  of 
the  enterprise  may  speak  against  the  tribe  whose  elevation  was 


FAITHFULNESS  OF  THE  PEOPLE.  399 

sought  by  it,  the  testimony  of  Dr.  Livingstoue  to  the  character, 
customs  and  promise  of  the  people  in  all  the  broad  region  which 
then  acknowledged  the  autiiority  of  Sekcletu  is  unshaken,  while 
his  personal  experience  of  their  faithfulness  and  kindness  cancels 
that  of  his  more  unfortunate  friends.  There  was  no  particular 
reason  why  the  chief  who  would  deal  so  unjustly  by  the  mission 
party  should  so  carefully  cultivate  the  friendship  of  Livingstone. 
There  would  have  been  no  trouble  in  concocting  an  explanation 
of  their  loss  had  lie  desired  to  appropriate  the  many  valuable 
articles  which  had  been  seven  or  eight  years  in  his  care.  These 
were  found  by  Dr.  Livingstone  just  as  he  left  them  ;  they  had 
been  guarded  most  sacredly  during  four  years,  and  the  wagon 
had  stood  there  since  1853.  Naturally  enough,  while  his  heart 
grieved  for  the  noble  man  who  had  fallen  on  the  spot,  after 
laying  two  dear  children  and  a  devoted  wife  under  the  strange 
sod,  and  while  he  sympathized  deeply  with  those  who  had  shared 
the  suffering,  only  escaping  with  their  lives,  his  greatest  anxiety 
was  that  the  interest  of  the  world  might  not  be  diminished  by 
the  accounts  of  their  misfortunes.  And  it  could  hardly  be  ex- 
pected that,  however  much  he  might  lament  the  faults  he  knew 
they  had,  he  should  forget  the  services  they  had  done  him,  or 
ignore  their  expressions  of  esteem  and  confidence.  Wheji  1il3 
went  over  to  Linyanti  he  was  escorted  by  men  furnished  by  S<!i- 
keletu,  and  rode  the  chiefs  own  horse.  When  he  arrived,  thu 
head  men.  Mosaic  and  Pekonyane,  received  him  cordially,  and 
lamented  that  they  had  so  little  to  offer  him.  Oh,  had  he  onl'};- 
arrived  the  year  previous,  when  there  was  abundance  of  milk 
and  corn  and  beer! 

Very  early  the  next  morning  the  old  town-crier,  Ma-Pulen- 
yane,  of  his  own  accord  made  a  public  proclamation,  which,  in 
the  perfect  stillness  of  the  town  long  before  dawn,  was  striking: 
"  I  have  dreamed  !  I  have  dreamed  !  I  have  dreamed  !  Thou, 
Mosaic,  and  thou,  Pekonyane,  my  lords,  be  not  faint-hearted, 
nor  let  your  hearts  be  sore,  but  believe  all  the  words  of  Monarc 
(the  doctor),  for  his  heart  is  white  as  milk  towards  the  JNIakololo. 
I  dreamed  that  he  was  coming,  and  that  the  tribe  would  live  if 
you  prayed  to  God  and  gave  heed  to  the  word  of  JNlonare." 
Ma-Pulenyane  showed  Dr.  Livingstone  the  burying-place  where 
poor  Helmore  and  seven  others  were  laid,  distinguishing  those 


400  KINDNESS   CONTINUED. 

wliora  he  had  put  to  rest  and  those  for  whom  Mafale  had  per- 
formed that  last  office.  Nothing  whatever  marked  the  spot, 
and,  with  the  native  idea  of  hiding  tlie  dead,  it  was  said,  "  it  will 
soon  be  all  overgrown  with  bushes,  for  no  one  will  cultivate 
there."  None  but  Ma-Pulenyane  approached  the  place:  the 
others  stood  at  a  respectful  distance ;  they  invariably  avoid  every- 
thing connected  with  death,  and  no  such  thing  as  taking  portions 
of  human  bodies  to  make  charms  of,  as  is  the  custom  farther 
north,  has  ever  been  known  among  the  Makololo. 

When  the  wagon  was  left  eight  years  before,  several  loose 
articles,  as  the  medicine-chest,  magic  lantern,  tools,  and  books, 
were  given  by  Sekeletu  into  the  charge  of  his  wives.  Every- 
thing was  now  found  in  safety.  The  wagon  was  in  sufficiently 
gciod  condition  for  the  doctor  to  sleep  in,  though  the  covering 
h:E)d  partly  rotted  off,  and,  when  the  chief  was  absent  at  the 
Enrotse,  the  white  ants  had  destroyed  one  of  the  wheels.  Seke- 
]eius  wives,  Seipone  and  Mantu,  without  being  asked,  cooked 
ai)undance  of  good  beef,  and  baked  a  large  sup])Iy  of  little  cakes 
after  the  pattern  which  the  Makololo,  who  went  to  Loanda,  had 
brought  back  to  them.  With  gentle  reproaches  for  not  bringing 
"  Ma-Robert,"  or  Mrs.  Livingstone,  they  repeated  some  of  the 
prattle  of  her  children  in  Sechuana,  and  said,  "Are  we  never 
more  to  know  anything  of  them  but  their  names  ?  " 

Sekeletu  was  well  pleased  with  tiie  various  articles  brought 
for  him,  and  inquired  if  a  ship  could  not  bring  his  sugar-mill 
and  the  other  goods  which  had  been  of  necessity  left  behind  at 
Tete.  On  hearing  that  there  was  a  possibility  of  a  powerful 
steamer  ascending  as  far  as  Sinamane's,  but  never  above  the 
Grand  Victoria  falls,  he  asked,  with  charming  simplicity,  if  a 
cannon  could  not  blow  away  the  falls,  so  as  to  allow  the  vessel 
to  come  up  to  Sesheke. 

He  was  also  as  urgent  as  ever  that  the  doctor  would  make 
his  home  with  him ;  but  he  couUl  not  offer  such  inducements  as 
had  surrounded  the  home  of  his  illustrious  father.  His  feeble 
healtli  and  foolish  policy  had  left  very  little  of  the  man  or  the 
chieftain  about  him.  And  though  he  recognized  the  importance 
of  seeking  a  home  in  a  more  salubrious  atmosphere  he  trembled 
at  the  thought  of  (juitting  iiis  fastnesses,  at  a  time  when  the 
growing  disallection  of  the  subject  tribes  threatened  to  leave  him 


RETURN   TO   TETE.  401 

60  soon  with  only  a  remnant  of  his  strength.  But  it  was  out  of 
the  question  for  Dr.  I^ivingstonc  to  think  of  even  a  protracted 
visit.  The  new  steamer  for  whieh  he  had  petitioned  his  govern- 
ment was  expected  to  arrive  at  the  Kongone  in  November,  and 
it  was  necessary  that  he  should  hasten  thither.  He  was  still  firm 
in  his  belief  that  there  could  be  found  no  more  desirable  field 
for  missionary  work.  There  were  difficulties,  but  none  which 
would  not  be  surmounted  gradually  by  wise  and  active  laborers. 

The  seaward  journey  occupied  about  two  months,  and  it  was 
toward  the  end  of  November  when  they  reached  Tete,  and  the 
Zambesi  was  then  so  low  that  they  were  comjxjlled  to  wait  until 
December  before  they  could  go  on  to  the  Kongone,  where  they 
arrived  on  the  4th  of  January,  1861.  The  exjiectcd  vessel  was 
behind  time,  and  there  was  nothing  to  be  done  but  to  wait  as 
patiently  as  possible  for  her  arrival.  In  such  a  focus  of  decay- 
ing vegetation  nothing  was  to  be  dreaded  so  much  as  inactivity, 
and  they  were  compelled  to  seek  exercise  and  amusement  in 
hunting  and  searching  about  the  fetid  swamps.  Indeed  in  all 
parts  of  Africa,  as  elsewhere,  an  active  life  has  been  found  the 
safest.  A  mind  fully  occupied  and  hands  full  of  work  are  the 
surest  precautions  against  the  subtle  enemy  which  lurks  in  those 
vast  wildernesses.  On  the  31st  of  January,  1861,  their  new 
ship,  the  "  Pioneer,"  arrived  from  England  and  anchored  out- 
side the  bar ;  but  the  weather  was  stormy  and  she  did  not  venture 
in  till  the  4th  of  February. 

Two  of  her  Majesty's  cruisers  came  at  the  same  time,  bringing 
Bishop  Mackenzie  and  the  Oxford  and  Cambridge  mission  to 
the  tribes  of  the  Shire  and  Lake  Nyassa.  The  mission  consisted 
of  six  Englishmen  and  five  colored  men  from  the  Cape.  It  was 
a  puzzle  to  know  what  to  do  with  so  many  men.  The  estimable 
bishop,  anxious  to  commence  his  work  without  delay,  wished 
the  "  Pioneer  "  to  carry  the  mission  up  the  Ehire  as  far  as  Clii- 
bisa's,  and  there  leave  them.  But  there  were  grave  objections 
to  this.  The  "  Pioneer  "  was  under  orders  to  explore  the  Ro- 
vuma,  as  the  Portuguese  government  had  refused  to  open  the 
Zambesi  to  the  ships  of  other  nations,  and  their  officials  were 
very  effcictually  pursuing  a  system  which,  by  abstracting  the 
labor,  was  rendering  the  country  of  no  value  either  to  foreigners 
or  to  themselves.     She  was  already  two  months  behind  her 


402 


THE   ROVUMA. 


time,  and  the  rainy  season  was  half  over.  Then,  if  the  party  were 
taken  to  Chibisa's,  the  mission  would  be  left  without  a  medical 
attendant,  in  an  unhealthy  region,  at  the  beginning  of  the  most 
sickly  season  of  the  year,  and  without  means  of  reaching  the 
healthy  highlands  or  of  returning  to  the  sea.  In  the  absence  of 
medical  aid,  and  all  knowledge  of  the  treatment  of  fever,  it  was 
feared  that  there  might  be  a  repetition  of  the  sorrowful  fate 
which  befell  the  similar  non-medical  mission  at  Linyanti.  The 
bishop  at  last  consented  to  proceed  in  the  "  Lyra"  man-of-war 
to  Johanna,  and  there  leave  the  members  of  the  mission  with 
her  Majesty's  consul,  Mr.  Sunley,  while  he  himself  should  ac- 
company the  expedition  up  the  Rovuma,  in  order  to  ascertain 
whether  the  country  around  its  head- waters,  which  were  reported 
to  flow  out  of  Nyassa,  was  a  suitable  place  for  a  settlement. 

On  the  25th  of  February  the  "  Pioneer  "  anchored  in  the 
mouth  of  the  Rovuma,  which,  unlike  most  African  rivers,  has 
a  magnificent  bay  and  no  bar.  The  scenery  on  the  lower  part 
of  the  Rovuma  was  found  superior  to  that  on  the  Zambesi,  for 
they  could  easily  see  the  highlands  from  the  sea.  Eight  miles 
from  the  mouth  the  mangroves  are  left  behind,  and  a  beautiful 
range  of  well-wooded  hills  on  each  bank  begins.  On  those 
ridges  the  tree  resembling  African  blackwood,  of  finer  gr&in 
than  ebony,  grows  abundantly  and  attains  a  large  size.  Few 
people  were  seen,  and  those  were  of  Arab  breed,  and  did  not 
appear  to  be  very  well  off.  The  current  of  the  Rovuma  was  now 
as  strong  as  that  of  the  Zambesi,  but  the  volume  of  water  is  very 
much  less.  Several  of  the  crossings  had  barely  water  enough 
for  the  ship,  drawing  five  feet,  to  pass.  Unfortunately,  however, 
they  had  suffered  a  detention,  and  when  they  had  ascended  a 
short  distance  found  the  river  falling  rather  rapidly,  and  they 
Avere  obliged  to  give  up  their  proposed  exploration  for  the  season. 
Hastening  back  to  the  sea,  they  returned  to  the  Kongone,  and 
sailed  again  up  the  Zambesi  to  the  Shire.  They  had  complained 
80  much  of  their  former  vessel  that  they  were  unwilling  to  find 
a  fault  with  the  new  one,  but  their  progress  was  greatly  impeded 
by  her  draught  of  water;  five  feet  was  found  to  be  too  much  for 
the  navigation  of  the  upper  part  of  the  Shire.  But  after  much 
difficulty  they  reached  Chibisa's  ;  there  was  a  general  feeling  of 
relief  when  the  anchor  was  east  in  the  old  spot  where  the  "  Ma- 


THE  university's  biission.  403 

Robert"  had  rested  in  the  former  time,  and  all  hands  congratu- 
lated eaeh  other  that  so  fur  at  least  there  was  owasion  for  grati- 
tude. The  history  of  the  "  University's  Mission,"  by  Rev.  Ilenry 
Rowly,  is  hardly  more  encouraging  than  the  effort  at  Linyanti. 
But  there  ought  not  to  have  been  felt  to  be  any  vindication  in 
need  of  men  who  had  proven  their  zeal  by  most  arduous  labors 
and  painful  sacrifices,  and  their  faithfulness  by  at  last  laying 
their  lives  on  the  altar  of  the  cause  they  had  espoused.  Nor  ought 
it  to  be  necessary  to  find  a  solution  of  the  calamitous  termination  of 
it,  aside  from  the  absolute  difficulty  of  a  noble  enterprise. 
The  hearts  of  Christians  ought  to  be  so  set  on  the  salvation  of 
tlie  heathen  that  they  will  not  hesitate  to  face  the  most  fatal 
diseases  and  the  most  unfriendly  receptions  in  the  })rosecution 
of  their  work.  The  real  explanation  of  the  misfortunes  of  the 
devoted  members  of  the  Shire  mission  can  hardly  be  found  in 
the  unfriendliness  of  the  natives  or  the  unhealthiness  of  the 
country.  They  settled  there  at  a  time  when  the  country  was 
suffering  a  most  distressing  series  of  depredations.  The  Ajawa, 
encouraged  by  the  Portuguese,  were  burning  and  plundering  the 
upper  Manganja  country.  From  the  time  of  their  arrival  there 
was  no  time  of  quiet.  The  general  unrest  and  excitement  wjis 
unfavorable,  and  they  Avere  ultimately  driven  for  safety  into  the 
lower  country  to  be  the  prey  of  the  relentless  fevers.  As  fur 
as  possible,  Dr.  Livingstone  encouraged  and  aided  them,  but  he 
served  the  government,  whose  claims  could  not  be  neglected. 

As  soon  therefore  as  they  could  perform  such  services  for  their 
friends  as  seemed  most  urgent,  and  had  seen  them  safely  on  the 
spot  which  the  good  Bishop  Mackenzie  had  selected,  Di*s.  Liv- 
ingstone and  Kirk,  with  Charles  Livingstone,  started  for  Lake 
Nyassa,  furnished  with  a  light  four-oared  gig,  a  white  sailor  and 
a  score  of  attendants.  And  it  may  be  interesting  to  the  reader, 
that  people  readily  engaged  to  carry  the  boat  forty  miles  for  a 
cubic  of  cotton  cloth  a  day  !  When  they  had  passed  the  last  of 
the  cataracts  they  launched  their  boat  "  for  good  "  on  the  Shire, 
and  passed  easily  and  peacefully  on  to  the  lake,  and  sailed  into 
it  on  the  2d  of  September.  It  was  found  to  be  over  two  hun- 
dred miles  long  and  from  twenty  to  sixty  wide,  a  deej)  sea-like 
sha<le  resting  on  its  surface.  They  had  never  before  seen  in 
Africa  anything  like  the  dense  population  which  thronged  its 


404 


ON   LAKE   NY  ASS  A. 


shores.  Their  first  impression  of  these  lake  dwellers  was  that 
they  were  downright  lazy;  groups  could  be  seen  during  the  day 
lying  fiust  asleep  under  the  shade  of  the  trees  along  the  shore, 
apparently  taking  the  world  very  easily,  but  a  better  acquaint- 
ance with  them  revealed  the  fact  that  these  forenoon  sleepers 
had  been  at  work  during  the  greater  part  of  the  night.  In  the 
afternoon  they  begin  to  bestir  themselves ;  examining  and  mend- 
ing their  nets,  carrying  them  to  the  canoes,  and  coiling  in  their 
lines.  In  the  evening  they  paddle  off  to  the  best  fishing  station, 
and  throughout  most  of  the  night  the  poor  fellows  are  toiling 
in  the  water,  dragging  their  nets. 

Though  there  are  many  crocodiles  in  the  lake,  and  some  of 
an  extraordinary  size,  the  fishermen  say  that  it  is  a  rare  thing 
fi:»r  any  one  to  be  carried  off  by  these  reptiles.  When  crocodiles 
can  easily  obtain  abundance  of  fish — their  natural  food — they 
sijldom  attack  men;  but  when  unable  to  see  to  catch  their 
prey,  from  the  muddiness  of  the  water  in  floods,  they  are  very 
dangerous. 

In  character  and  general  appearance  the  lake  tribes  M'ere 
found  to  be  very  much  like  the  tribes  among  whom  they  had 
already  travelled.  Their  scanty  clotiiing  was  partly  of  cotton 
and  partly  of  a  sort  of  cloth  woven  from  bark.  The  ornamen- 
tation of  their  persons  was  of  course  a  matter  of  special  pride 
and  delight. 

At  different  points  along  the  shore  they  found  the  established 
slave-crossing  places,  and  only  at  such  places  were  they  at  all 
annoyed.  The  lake  slave-trade  was  going  on  at  a  terrible  rate, 
and  the  higher  they  went  the  more  deeply  the  travellers  realized 
the  horrors  of  a  trade  which  encourages  every  vice  and  withers 
every  beauty,  and  paralyzes  every  energy  of  the  afflicted  land 
over  which  it  drags  its  accursed  chain. 

Having  spent  nearly  two  months  on  the  lake,  and  feeling 
amply  repaid  for  their  toil  in  the  encouragement  they  had  ex- 
perienced concerning  the  future  of  the  great  continent,  they  re- 
turned to  the  ship,  which  they  reached  on  the  8th  of  November. 
The  bishop  came  down  from  Magomero  to  meet  them,  and  it 
was  a  joy  indeed  to  see  him  in  such  good  spirits. 

On  returning  to  Tete,  it  was  ascertained  tliat  the  Portuguese 
government  had  given  such  instructions  to  the  slaving  parties 


I  III Ill  1 1 J  111  III  luui  luyiiiiiiwl 


DEATH   OF   MRS.    LIVINGSTONE.  407 

within  their  territory  as  would  make  it  impossible  for  the 
expedition  to  pursue  their  work  at  all  peacefully,  and  their  at- 
tention was  again  turned  to  the  Rovuma,  and  they  landed  at 
Shupanga,  with  a  view  of  perfecting  such  preparation  as  the  ex- 
ploration of  that  river  might  call  for.  The  lever  was  prevailing 
considerably  at  the  time,  and  about  the  middle  of  April  Mrs. 
Livingstone  was  prostrated  by  this  disease;  and  it  was  accom- 
panied by  obstinate  vomiting.  Nothing  is  yet  known  that  can 
allay  this  distressing  symptom,  which  of  course  renders  medicine 
of  no  avail,  as  it  is  instantly  rejected.  She  received  wliatever 
medical  aid  could  be  rendered  from  Dr.  Kirk,  but  became  un- 
conscious, and  her  eyes  were  closed  in  the  sleep  of  death  as  the 
sun  set  on  the  evening  of  the  Christian  Sabbath,  the  27th  of 
April,  1862.  A  coffin  was  made  during  the  night,  a  grave  was 
dug  next  day  under  the  branches  of  the  great  baobab  tree,  and 
with  sympathizing  hearts  the  little  band  of  his  countrymen  as- 
sisted the  bereaved  husband  in  burying  his  dead.  At  his  re- 
quest, the  Rev.  James  Stewart,  who  had  come  out  as  the  agent 
of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland  to  view  the  country  before  at- 
tempting a  mission,  read  the  burial  service;  and  the  seamen 
kindly  volunteered  to  mount  guard  for  some  nights  at  the  spot 
where  her  body  rests  in  hope.  Those  who  are  not  aware  how 
this  brave,  good,  English  wife  made  a  delightful  home  at  Kolo- 
beng,  a  thousand  miles  inland  from  the  Cape,  and  as  the  daughter 
of  Moffat  and  a  Christian  lady  exercised  most  beneficial  influ- 
ence over  the  rude  tribes  of  the  interior,  may  wonder  that  she 
should  have  braved  the  dangers  and  toils  of  this  down-trodden 
laud.  She  knew  them  all,  and,  in  the  disinterested  and  dutiful 
attempt  to  renew  her  labors,  was  called  to  her  rest  instead. 

The  expedition  had  worked  under  many  disadvantages,  and 
in  the  face  of  difficulties  which  would  have  discouraged  less 
resolute  men.  They  had  been  generously  treated  by  their 
government,  but  unfortunately  their  first  boat  was  a  burlesque 
on  the  name,  and  the  "  Pioneer"  was  unadapted  to  the  waters 
on  which  she  was  to  sail.  Besides  the  delays  and  embarrass- 
ments growing  out  of  their  equipment,  the  Portuguese  jealousy 
found  expression  in  many  discouragements,  and  the  vigorous 
revival  of  the  slave-trade  more  than  neutralized  their  influence 
on  the  natives  over  whom  its  degrading  influence  extended. 


408 


THE   ROVUMA   AGAIN. 


When  they  were  at  last  put  in  possession  of  the  "Lady  Nyassa" 
— the  little  iron  steamer  with  which  they  proposed  to  force  their 
way  up  the  rapids  of  the  Zambesi  and  the  Shire — the  season 
had  so  far  advanced  that  they  could  not  think  of  that  under- 
taking until  another  flood  time,  which  would  involve  inevitably 
a  delay  of  several  months ;  and  it  was  decided  to  attempt  again 
the  exploration  of  the  Rovuma,  which  was  reported  to  flow  from 
Lake  Nyassa.  They  were  the  more  anxious  to  find  out  the 
truth  of  this  report,  because  such  a  discovery  would  put  them  in 
communication  with  the  vast  fertile  regions  about  the  lake  and 
along  the  Upper  Shire,  by  a  path  free  from  the  annoyance  of 
Lisbon  taxation.  Accordingly  they  set  out  about  the  1st  of 
September,  1862,  on  a  journey  which  occupied  about  one 
month.  Tlie  results  of  this  expedition  were  not  gratifying, 
though  much  more  satisfactory  than  their  former  effort.  They 
aijcended  without  serious  difficulty  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles,  where  they  encountered  the  peculiar  obstructions  which 
sr.'em  to  belong  to  all  African  rivers.  The  river  became  narrow 
and  rocky,  and  further  navigation  was  found  impossible.  Few 
incidents  occurred  which  would  interest  the  reader. 

The  valley  was  about  four  miles  wide  and  bounded  on  each 
side  by  a  range  of  high  hills.  During  the  first  week  very  few 
people  were  seen.  Their  villages  were  all  concealed  in  the 
thick  jungles  on  the  hill-sides  for  protection  from  marauding 
slave  parties.  The  absence  of  bird  or  animal  life  was  remarka- 
ble, and  the  shallow,  winding  channel,  in  the  midst  of  absolute 
stillness,  was  cheerless  indeed.  The  language  of  the  people 
differed  considerably  from  that  in  use  on  the  Zambesi,  though 
it  seemed  to  be  of  the  same  family.  The  customs  of  the  people, 
as  far  as  ascertained,  were  not  unlike  those  along  the  other 
rivers — the  same  love  of  ornament  and  the  follies  of  fashion. 
Hunting  the  senzc — an  animal  about  the  size  of  a  large  cat,  but 
in  shape  more  resembling  a  pig — was  the  chief  business  of  men 
and  lx)ys  along  the  reedy  banks.  In  this  singular  sport  they 
get  fire  to  a  mass  of  reeds,  and,  armed  with  sticks,  spears,  bows 
and  arrows,  stand  in  groups  guarding  the  outlets  through  which 
the  scarwl  senze  may  run  from  the  approaching  flames.  Dark, 
dense  volumes  of  impenetrable  smoke  now  roll  over  on  the  lee 
side  of  the  islet,  and  shroud  the  hunters.     At  times  vast  sheets 


SCENES   ON  THE   ROVUMA.  411 

of  lurid  flames  bursting  forth,  roaring,  crackling  and  exploding, 
leap  wildly  far  above  the  tall  reeds.  Out  rush  the  terrified 
animals,  and  amid  the  smoke  are  seen  the  excited  hunters  danc- 
ing about  with  frantic  gesticulations,  and  hurling  stick,  spear 
and  arrow  at  their  burned-out  victims.  Kites  hover  over  the 
smoke,  ready  to  pounce  on  the  mantis  and  locusts  as  they  spring 
from  the  fire.  Small  crows  and  hundreds  of  swallows  arc  on 
eager  wing,  darting  into  the  smoke  and  out  again,  seizing  fugi- 
tive flies.  Scores  of  insects,  in  their  haste  to  escape  from  the 
fire,  jump  into  the  river,  and  the  active  fish  enjoy  a  rare  feast. 

Great  quantities  of  excellent  honey  are  collected  along  the 
river  by  bark  hives  placed  for  the  bees  on  high  trees  which  line 
the  banks.  A  few  pieces  of  coal  were  also  picked  up.  And 
there  was  little  doubt  that,  but  for  the  slave-trade,  which  finds 
one  of  its  principal  outlets  eastward  through  this  section,  the 
people  would  be  easily  led  to  higher  grades  of  being.  And  it 
was  equally  evident  that  they  occupied  a  country  which  would 
repay  with  its  offerings  all  the  attention  which  friendly  nations 
might  bestow  on  its  benighted  occupants.  But  the  Rovuma  is 
less  promising  as  an  avenue  to  the  interior  than  the  Shire  or 
the  Zambesi,  and  the  expedition  was  constrained  to  give  up  the 
hope  of  reaching  the  lake  by  that  route,  and  returned  again  to 
the  Zambesi  to  battle  again  with  the  ills  they  knew. 

They  ascended  the  Shire  In  January,  1863,  and  passed  along 
amidst  the  dreadful  traces  of  the  recent  ravages  of  Mariano,  who 
was  again  in  the  field  as  "  the  great  Portuguese  slave  agent." 
Dead  bodies  floated  past  them  daily,  and  in  the  mornings  the 
paddles  had  to  be  cleared  of  the  corpses  caught  by  the  floats 
during  the  night.  For  scores  of  miles  the  entire  population  of 
the  valley  had  been  swept  away  by  the  inhuman  agent  of  a 
government  called  civilized,  called  Christian.  It  made  the 
heart  ache  to  see  the  wide-spread  desolation ;  the  river  banks, 
once  so  populous,  all  silent;  the  villages  burned  down,  and  an 
oppressive  stillness  reigning  where  formerly  crowds  of  eager 
sellers  appeared  with  the  various  products  of  their  industry. 
Here  and  there  might  be  seen  on  the  bank  a  small,  dreary, 
deserted  shed,  where  had  sat,  day  after  day,  a  starving  fisher- 
man, until  the  rising  waters  drove  the  fish  from  their  wonted 
haunts,  and  leil  him  to  die.     Tingane  had  been  defeated ;  his 


412  DESOLATION   ON   THE   SHIRE. 

people  had  been  killed,  kidnapped,  and  forced  to  flee  from  their 
villages.  There  were  a  few  wretched  survivors  in  a  village 
above  the  Kuo;  but  the  majority  of  the  population  was  dead. 
The  sight  and  smell  of  dead  bodies  Mere  everywhere.  Many 
persons  lay  beside  the  path,  where  in  their  weakness  they  had 
fallen  and  expired.  Ghastly  living  forms  of  boys  and  girls, 
with  dull,  dead  eyes,  were  crouching  beside  some  of  the  huts. 
A  few  more  miserable  days  of  their  terrible  hunger,  and  they 
would  be  with  the  dead,  \yords  could  not  convey  an  adequate 
idea  of  the  scene  of  wide-spread  desolation  which  the  once  pleas- 
ant valley  of  the  Shire  presented.  Instead  of  smiling  villages 
and  crowds  of  people  coming  with  things  for  sale,  scarcely  a 
soul  was  to  be  seen ;  and  when  by  chance  one  lighted  on  a 
native,  his  frame  bore  the  impress  of  hunger,  and  his  counte- 
nance the  look  of  a  cringing  broken-spirited ness.  A  drought 
had  visited  the  land  after  the  slave-hunting  panic  swept  over  it. 
Large  masses  of  people  had  fled  down  to  the  Shire,  only 
anxious  to  get  the  river  between  them  and  their  enemies.  Most 
of  the  food  had  been  left  behind  ;  and  famine  and  starvation  had 
cut  off  so  many  that  the  remainder  were  too  few  to  bury  the 
dead.  The  corpses  seen  floating  down  the  river  were  only  a 
remnant  of  those  that  had  perished,  whom  their  friends,  from 
weakness,  could  not  bury,  nor  over-gorged  crocodiles  devoui-. 
It  is  true  that  famine  caused  a  great  portion  of  this  waste  of 
human  life;  but  the  slave-trade  was  deemed  the  chief  agent  in 
the  ruin.  The  few  wretched  survivors  were  overpowered  by  an 
apathetic  lethargy.  They  attempted  scarcely  any  cultivation, 
which,  for  people  so  given  to  agriculture  as  they  are,  was  very 
remarkable;  they  were  seen  daily  devouring  the  corn-stalks 
which  had  sprung  up  in  the  old  plantations,  and  which  would, 
if  let  alone,  have  yielded  corn  in  a  month.  They  could  not  be 
aroused  from  their  lethargy.  Famine  benumbs  all  the  facul-, 
ties.  The  effort  was  made  to  induce  some  to  exert  themselves 
to  procure  food,  but  failed.  They  had  lost  all  their  former 
spirit,  and  with  lacklustre  eyes,  scarcely  meeting  those  of  their 
friends,  and  in  whining  tones,  replied  to  every  proposition  for 
their  benefit—"  No,  no !  "     {"Ai !  ai !  ") 

Human  skeletons  were  seen  in  every  direction,  and  it  was 
painfully  interesting  to  observe  the  different  postures  iu  M'hicli 


GRAVE   OF   BISHOP   MACKENZIE,  413 

the  poor  wretches  had  breathed  their  last.  A  whole  heap  had 
been  throwu  down  a  slope  behind  a  village,  where  the  fugitives 
often  crossed  the  river  from  the  east ;  and  in  one  hut  of  the 
same  village  no  fewer  than  twenty  drums  had  been  collected, 
probably  the  ferryman's  fees.  Many  had  ended  their  misery 
under  shady  trees,  others  under  projecting  crags  in  the  liills, 
while  others  lay  in  their  liuts,  with  closed  doors,  which,  when 
opened,  disclosed  the  mouldering  corpse  with  the  poor  rags 
round  the  loins — the  skull  fallen  off  the  pillow — the  little  skel- 
eton of  the  child,  that  had  perished  first,  rolled  up  in  a  mat 
between  two  large  skeletons.  The  sight  of  this  desert,  but 
eighteen  months  ago  a  well-peopled  valley,  now  literally  strewn 
with  human  bones,  forced  the  conviction  that  the  destruction  of 
human  life  in  the  middle  passage,  however  great,  constituted 
but  a  small  portion  of  the  waste,  and  left  no  grounds  for  hope 
that  a  lawful  commerce  might  be  established  until  the  slave- 
trade,  which  had  so  long  brooded  over  Africa,  should  be  put 
down. 

In  the  midst  of  these  shocking  scenes  the  party  visited  the 
grave  of  good  Bishop  Mackenzie.  He  had  given  his  heart  in 
sincerity  to  Africa,  and  it  was  sorrowful  indeed  to  know  that  3,^1 
the  fond  and  noble  hopes  which  had  clustered  round  him  as  I  \e 
left  the  classic  grounds  of  Cambridge  were  all  buried  in  a  pla:e 
so  wild  and  so  desolate.  But  on  what  nobler  altar  can  a  mnii 
lay  down  his  life?  Who  shall  talk  of  "  waste  of  precious  lives," 
which  are  sacrificed  in  carrying  the  gospel  of  Christ  to  the 
heathen,  since  "  Christ  has  died?"  Who  knows  but  those  who 
fall  soonest,  and  in  the  severest  trials,  shall  in  the  last  day  be 
allowed  to  lead  up  the  hosts  of  Christ's  ransomed  ones  out  of 
the  ends  of  the  earth  to  the  throne  of  the  King  ? 

There  was  now  added,  to  the  difficulties  which  had  existed 
before,  the  disadvantage  of  having  to  bring  all  supplies  from  the 
Zambesi.  It  was  impossible  to  purchase  food.  To  accomplish 
much  under  such  circumstances  was  impossible ;  and  the  only 
plan  which  offered  anything  like  success  was  to  pass  the  rapids 
and  get  among  the  tribes  dwelling  about  the  foot  of  the  lake, 
who  had  been  exempt  from  the  ravages  which  had  made  a 
desert  of  the  valley. 

In  the  midst  of  preparations  for  this  journey  a  despatch  was 
21 


414  HOMEWARD. 

received  from  Earl  Russell  containing  instructions  for  the  with- 
drawal of  the  expedition,  and  there  could  be  but  little  else 
attempted  during  the  short  time  which  must  elapse  before  the 
condition  of  the  river  would  justify  the  attempt  to  take  the 
"  Pioneer  "  down  to  the  sea.  The  work  of  the  expedition  had 
come  to  be  little  better  than  a  struggle  with  the  slave-trade. 
The  breaking  up  of  that  evil  was  the  absorbing  idea  of  the 
members  of  it.  It  could  hardly  have  been  otherwise.  The 
humanity  of  Englishmen  and  Christians  could  but  arise  against 
such  barbarities  as  confronted  them  in  every  path  they  selected. 
The  short  journey  to  the  northwest,  which  extended  as  far  as 
the  village  of  Chinanga,  on  the  banks  of  a  branch  of  the 
lioangwa,  only  deepened  the  conviction  of  the  utter  hopeless- 
ness of  all  enterprises  which  might  seek  the  improvement  of  the 
p<2ople  and  the  utilization  of  the  country  until  the  land  should 
le  relieved  of  the  fatal  traffic  which  flourished  everywhere  by 
the  patronage  of  Portugal. 

It  is  no  wonder  that  Dr.  Livingstone  turned  again  toward 
the  sea  with  anything  but  friendly  feelings  toward  a  govern- 
ment whose  "dog  in  the  manger"  spirit  had  made  six  precious 
years,  years  of  pain  and  comparative  disappointment. 


MISSION  CUAl'EIi  ON  THE  SHIRE. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

THE  BEGIXNIXG  OF  THE   EXD. 

Zambesi  Expedition  Unsatisfactory — Zanzibar  —  Trade  from  Zanzibar — The 
Outfit — Rovuma  Bay — Kindany — The  Makonde — Remarkable  Vegetation — 
Cutting  Right  Valiantly — Rage  for  Doctorship— Mohammedan  Influence — 
Lying  Guides — Along  the  Rovuma — Troubles  with  Followers — Gmn-Copal 
Tree— Extravagant  Tattooing — Top  of  the  Fashion — At  Nyomano— The  Slave- 
Trade — The  Makoa — A  Woman  Rescued — Horrors  of  the  Trade  in  Slaves — 
Currency  for  Africa — Extracts  from  Journal — A  Deserted  Village — A  Model 
Town  of  Africa. 

Nobody  was  thoroughly  satisfied  with  the  Zambesi  expedi- 
tion. It  had  cost  considerable  sums  of  money,  much  precious 
time  had  been  consumed,  and  some  very  valuable  lives  had  been 
sacrificed,  while  comparatively  little  progress  had  been  made  in 
finding  out  the  country,  the  anticipations  of  advantageous  com- 
mercial relations  greatly  disappointed,  and  missionary  enthu- 
siasm discouraged.  There  were  however  some  important  dis- 
coveries made :  the  fruitfulness  of  the  soil  was  confirmed,  the 
mineral  resources  much  more  accurately  ascertained,  and  the 
real  enemy  of  African  civilization  brought  more  distinctly  into 
view.  There  was  certainly  no  want  of  patient  and  heroic  labor, 
brave  endurance  and  wise  counsel.  In  none  of  the  records  of 
his  noble  life  have  we  been  more  impressed  witli  the  real  great- 
ness of  David  Livingstone  than  in  reviewing  the  journals  of  the 
wearying,  unsatisfactory  years  of  this  expedition.  The  difficul- 
ties with  which  he  contended  were  only  recognized  by  him 
when  human  energy  could  do  no  more,  and  even  then  he  sus- 
pended his  labors  only  in  obedience  to  the  authority  which  he 
represented. 

The  little  time  which  he  allowed  himself  at  home  was  hardly 
a  season  of  rest.  Besides  the  preparation  of  his  "  Zambesi  Ex- 
pedition "  for  the  press,  he  felt  constrained  to  do  all  in  his  power 
in  those  few  months  to  revive  the  popular  interest  in  the  Afri- 

415 


416  ARRIVAL   AT  ZANZIBAE. 

can  question,  and  to  arouse  popular  sentiment  against  the  African 
slave-trade,  which  he  had  been  forced  to  recognize  as  the  most 
stubborn  and  powerful  enemy  of  all  those  schemes  of  benevo- 
lence which  were  springing  up  in  the  hearts  of  Christians  for  that 
unfavored  land.  The  days  were  full  of  labor  and  anxiety,  and 
passed  rapidly. 

On  the  14th  of  August,  1865,  Livingstone  left  England  for 
the  third  and  last  time,  under  commission  as  British  Consul  for 
Central  Africa.  He  reached  Bombay  on  the  3d  of  January, 
1866,  and  having  received  commendatory  letters  to  the  sultan 
of  Zanzibar,  sailed  for  that  island  in  the  "  Thule,"  a  vessel  which 
was  sent  as  a  present  to  the  sultan  by  the  Bombay  government. 
Twenty-three  days  were  required  for  the  passage,  and  on  the 
28th  of  January  the  ship  entered  the  harbor  of  Zanzibar.  Dr. 
Livingstone  was  shown  all  possible  res}>ect,  and  the  sultan  im- 
mediately put  one  of  his  own  houses  at  his  disposal.  Snugly 
ensconced  in  this  temporary  home,  he  had  a  little  time  to  look 
about  him,  and  complete  his  preparations  for  the  interior. 

Zanzibar  is  the  Bagdad,  the  Ispahan,  the  Stamboul,  if  you 
like,  of  East  Africa.  It  is  the  great  mart  which  invites  the 
ivory  traders  from  the  African  interior.  To  this  market  come 
the  gum-copal,  the  hides,  the  orchilla,  the  timber,  and  the  black 
slaves  from  Africa.  The  population  of  the  island  hardly  ex- 
ceeds two  hundred  thousand ;  about  half  of  this  number  reside 
in  the  city.  The  higher  and  middle  classes  are  represented  by 
the  Arabs,  the  Banyans,  and  the  Mohammedan  Hindis ;  below 
these  there  are  the  half-castes  and  the  negro.  There  are,  besides 
these  classes,  a  number  of  American  and  European  residents. 
These  are  mainly  government  officials,  though  a  number  of  in- 
dependent merchants  and  agents  of  great  mercantile  houses  in 
Europe  and  America  have  their  homes  in  the  strange  surround- 
ings of  tliis  strangest  of  towns.  The  Arabs  of  Zanzibar  are 
Arabs,  just  as  they  would  be  anywhere  on  earth.  Tiie  Arab 
never  changes ;  wherever  he  goes  he  carries  the  customs,  dress, 
and  characteristic  peculiarities  which  distinguish  the  exactest 
representatives  of  his  race  in  their  own  countries.  Nearly  all 
of  those  who  are  seen  in  Zanzibar  are  experienced  travellers,  and 
their  very  countenancas  and  carriage  tell  of  strange  and  perilous 
adventures  and  habitual  wariness  and  courage. 


TRADE   AT   ZANZIBAR.  417 

The  principal  traders,  liowever,  of  Zanzibar  seem  to  be  the 
Banyans.  IMany  of  these  have  accuranlated  great  wealth,  and 
it  is  in  their  power  to  take  advantage  of  the  poorer  natives  who 
come  into  their  hands  with  their  fruits  or  ivory,  just  as  the  rich 
may  wrong  the  poor  anywhere.  The  negro  is  the  laboring  man 
of  the  island,  and  the  half-caste  is  the  rascal. 

The  particular  line  of  trade  which  attracts  the  attention  of 
the  European  traveller  most  anxiously  is  that  of  the  slave  mar- 
kets. It  taxes  the  credulity  of  the  most  skeptical  to  accept  the 
statements  of  even  the  most  reliable  travellers  concerning  tlie 
enormous  profits  which  tempt  so  powerfully  the  unscrupulous 
to  this  barbarous  business.  Mr.  Stanley,  who  looked  about  him 
with  the  eyes  of  an  accomplished  reporter  for  one  of  the  most 
careful  journals  of  our  time,  has  in  his  book  a  paragraph  which 
puts  the  matter  most  tellingly :  "  We  will  suppose,"  says  he, 
"  for  the  sake  of  illustrating  how  trade  with  the  interior  is  man- 
aged, that  the  Arab  conveys  by  his  caravan  $5000  worth  of 
goods  into  the  interior.  At  Unyanyembe  the  goods  are  worth 
$10,000;  at  Ujiji  they  are  worth  $15,000,  or  have  trebled  in 
price.  $7.50  will  purchase  a  slave  in  the  markets  of  Ujiji, 
which  will  bring,  in  Zanzibar,  $30.  Ordinary  men-slaves 
may  be  purchased  for  $6  which  would  sell  for  $25  on  the 
coast.  We  will  say  he  purchases  slaves  to  the  full  extent  of  his 
means.  After  deducting  $1500  for  expenses  of  carriage  to 
Ujiji  and  back — viz.,  $3500 — he  would  buy,  at  $7.50  each,  four 
hundred  and  sixty-four  slaves,  on  which  he  would  realize 
$13,920  on  an  investment  of  $5000,  or  nearly  $9000  net  profit 
for  a  single  journey  from  Zanzibar  to  Ujiji."  At  the  slave 
market  at  Zanzibar,  Dr.  Livingstone  found  three  hundred  slaves 
exposed  for  sale,  the  greater  part  of  whom  had  come  from  Lake 
Nyassa  and  the  Shire  river.  One  of  the  women  remembered 
hearing  of  his  passing  up  the  lake  in  a  boat,  but  he  found  none 
in  the  company  whom  he  had  seen  before.  The  patience  of  the 
man  whose  heart  had  been  so  long  set  for  the  lifting  up  of 
Africa  was  hardly  increased  by  the  scenes  which  came  so  fre- 
quently before  him  in  these  markets.  He  says  that  "  those  of 
tlie  slaves  who  were  old  enough  to  comprehend  their  situation 
seemed  greatly  ashamed  at  being  hawked  about  for  sale.  Their 
teeth  were  examinal,  the  cloth  which  they  wore  was  raised  up 


418  THE   OUTFIT    FOR   EXPEDITION. 

that  their  lower  limbs  might  be  examined,  and  a  stick  was 
tossed  for  the  slave  to  bring  that  he  might  exhibit  his  paces. 
Others  were  dragged  through  the  crowd  by  the  hand,  while  the 
price  was  incessantly  called  out.  The  purchasers  of  these  un- 
happy beings  were  mostly  northern  Arabs  and  Persians." 

But  entertaining  as  the  scenes  of  that  strange  city  must  be  to 
an  intelligent  traveller,  Dr.  Livingstone  walked  its  streets  with 
heart  and  mind  absorbed  with  a  greater  work  than  that  of  an 
ordinary  observer,  and  every  moment  of  time  spent  in  Zanzibar 
was  coveted  for  the  dearer  work  he  had  to  do  in  the  heart  of  the 
great  continent  whose  dark  outline  was  only  a  few  miles  away. 

Having  finally  arranged  with  Koorje,  a  Banyan,  to  send  a 
supply  of  beads,  cloth,  flour,  tea,  coifee,  and  sugar,  to  Ujiji,  on 
Lake  Taganyika,  to  the  care  of  an  Arab  living  there,  called 
Thani  bin  Siielim,  and  having  perfected  other  arrangements  for 
his  journey,  Livingstone  took  leave  of  the  generous  sultan  and 
other  friends  on  the  island.  He  had  secured  a  dhow,  one  of  the 
coasting  vessels  of  East  Africa,  for  transporting  the  animals  for 
the  expedition  ;  of  these  there  were  six  camels,  three  buffaloes 
and  a  calf,  two  mules  and  four  donkeys.  His  attendants  were 
thirteen  Sepoys,  ten  Johanna  men,  nine  Nassick  boys,  two  Shu- 
panga  men,  and  Wakalani  and  Chuma,  two  Wayans,  boys  who 
had  been  liberated  from  the  slavers  by  the  doctor  and  Bishop 
Mackenzie  in  1861,  and  had  spent  three  years  with  the  mission 
party  at  Chibisa.  Several  others  of  the  men  had  been  with  Dr. 
Livingstone  in  his  former  expeditions.  Musa,  a  Johanna  man, 
was  a  sailor  on  the  "  Lady  Nyassa  Susi,"  and  Amoda  had  ren- 
dered service  on  the  "  Pioneer."  The  Nassick  lads  were  all  entire 
strangers,  and  had  been  trained  in  India. 

By  the  kindness  of  Lieutenant  Garforth,  the  doctor  and  his 
followers  were  offered  passage  to  the  mouth  of  the  Rovuma  in 
the  ship  "  Penguin,"  and  under  date  of  IMarch  19th,  1 866,  we  find 
the  opening  entrance  in  the  journal  of  this  expedition,  toward 
which  the  eyes  of  the  world  turned  so  long  and  anxiously,  in  a 
few  words  full  of  the  spirit  of  the  great  and  good  man  :  "  We 
start  this  morning  at  10  a.  m.  I  trust  that  the  Most  High  may 
prosper  me  in  this  work,  granting  me  influence  in  the  eyes  of 
the  heathen,  and  helping  me  to  make  my  intercourse  beneficial 
to  them." 


ROVUMA   BAY.  419 

On  the  22d  they  reached  Rovuma  bay,  and  anchored  about 
two  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river,  in  five  fathoms  water. 
Two  or  three  days  careful  inspection  of  the  river  and  the  neigh- 
boring lands  was  enough  to  reveal  the  fact  that  there  would  be 
very  great  difficulty  in  conveying  the  animals  to  the  interior  bv 
that  route,  and,  following  the  advice  of  Lieutenant  Garforth  and 
the  captain  of  the  dhow,  the  party  turned  back  to  Mikindany 
bay,  Avhich  lies  twenty-five  miles  north  of  Rovuma,  and  on  the 
evening  of  the  24th  landed  all  the  animals  and  bade  farewell  to 
the  noble  gentleman  who  had  so  kindly  assisted  them  with  his 
ship.  Our  great  traveller  was  now  once  more  safely  on  African 
soil,  and  the  great  sea  ebbing  and  flowing  heedlessly  between 
him  and  the  sympathies  and  affection  of  all  who  could  in  any 
sort  appreciate  his  noble  self-sacrifice  or  comprehend  the  nature 
and  importance  of  his  undertakings.  But  he  was  inured  to  the 
dangers,  the  privations,  the  loneliness  and  toils  of  travel.  He 
was  self-reliant,  and  needed  little  else  than  the  freedom  to  look 
up  to  give  him  confidence.  He  did  not  underrate  the  difficul- 
ties of  African  travel,  he  knew  them  too  well ;  but  it  was  his 
theory  that  "  the  sweat  of  one's  brow  is  no  longer  a  curse  when 
one  works  for  God,"  and  he  had  become  accustomed  to  appre- 
ciate severe  exertion  because  it  enhanced  the  charms  of  repose. 

The  town  of  Kindany,  as  a  starting  point  for  a  great  expedi- 
tion, was  no  better  than  no  place ;  the  only  advantage  it  offeree  1 
was  that  which  would  have  existed  as  well  had  there  been  kd 
town  there.  The  harbor  is  described  as  unsurpassed,  if  indeed 
it  is  equalled,  by  any  on  the  coast.  It  is  entered  by  a  deej) 
narrow  channel,  and  inside,  sheltered  by  semicircular  highlands, 
is  the  deep  bay,  about  two  miles  square,  where  vessels  enjoy 
uncommon  security  from  the  winds  which  so  often  fall  merci- 
lessly on  the  small  coasting  ships  of  the  region.  There  are  a 
number  of  houses  lying  along  this  bay,  small  square  structures 
of  wattle  and  daub ;  but  there  would  be  no  evidence  that  the 
harbor  had  been  in  use,  or  even  known  before  the  recent  settle- 
ment of  its  present  claimants,  if  a  few  lingering  ruins  had  not 
endured  the  w-ear  of  centuries  with  tiieir  hints  of  an  old  time. 
The  people  who  live  in  the  small  square  houses — the  present 
Kindanians — are  the  poorest  possible  specimens  of  the  ffenus 
homo,  "  the  low-coast  Arabs,  three-quarters  African."     They  are 


420  KINDANY. 

after  a  fashion  the  subjects  of  Zanzibar ;  their  jcmida  acknowl- 
edges the  authority  of  the  sultan,  and  their  insignificant  customs 
are  presided  over  by  an  officer  from  Zanzibar. 

The  animals  which  had  been  conveyed  to  the  coast  in  the 
dhow  were  considerably  knocked  up  by  the  voyage,  and  some 
time  elapsed  while  they  were  getting  over  their  wounds  and 
bruises  and  fatigue.  The  delay  was  put  in  usefully,  however, 
in  the  manufacture  of  camels'  saddles  and  repairing  those  for 
the  mules  and  buffaloes. 

Nature  has  been  more  lavish  of  her  favors  at  Kindany  than 
at  other  points  along  the  coast.  The  land  is  higher,  and  the 
soil  is  almost  half  coral.  "  Coral  rock  underlies  the  whole 
place,"  and  the  rills  in  this  rock  afford  good  water.  A  dense 
tropical  vegetation  prevails  on  every  hand,  and  conspicuous  in 
the  various  wonders  of  it  stands  the  great  baobab.  Great  num- 
bers of  large  game  are  seen  about  the  numerous  water-pools, 
and  the  nominal  traders  of  the  town  have  so  little  industry  that 
there  is  hardly  anything  to  relieve  the  heathendom  look  of  the 
region. 

After  enjoying  innumerable  promises  of  service  without 
receiving  the  slightest  assistance,  Livingstone  set  out  on  his 
journey,  bearing  southward  in  the  direction  of  the  Kovuma 
river,  with  a  Somalie  guide,  who  was  to  receive  twenty  dollars 
for  taking  him  as  far  as  Nyomano,  the  confluence  of  the  Loendi 
and  Rovuma. 

An  enemy  which  the  doctor  had  hoped  to  escape  on  this  route 
was  in  waiting  for  him,  and  before  he  had  travelled  a  dozen 
miles  it  was  ascertained  that  the  buffaloes  and  camels  had  been 
bitten  by  the  tsetse.  The  progress  was  painfully  slow  at  best, 
and  it  was  a  matter  of  serious  anxiety  to  be  threatened  with  so 
great  a  disaster  as  the  loss  of  his  animals  so  early  in  the  journey. 
Being  himself  unused  to  camels,  it  was  necessary  to  intrust  them 
to  the  Sepoys  almost  entirely,  and  it  was  soon  apparent  they 
'.vcre  exceedingly  careless  of  the  comfort  and  safety  of  their 
charge.  Added  to  this — true  to  the  familiar  maxim,  that 
•'  troubles  never  come  singly  " — the  road  they  had  to  make  lay 
through  dense  jungles,  where  the  axe  must  do  its  work  before 
the  camels  and  buffaloes  could  possibly  advance. 

The  native  occupants  of  this  region  are  known  as  ^lakonde. 


THE  MAKONDE.  421 

Their  numbers  have  been  greatly  diminished  by  the  slave-trade; 
only  a  remnant,  comparatively,  of  them  are  left.  Here  and 
there  the  traveller  emerged  suddenly  on  a  little  clearing  adorned, 
with  gardens  of  sorghum,  maize  and  cassava.  The  people  were 
much  more  interested  in  the  strange  animals  of  the  unexpected 
visitors  than  in  the  human  members  of  the  cavalcade;  even  the 
white  man  himself  did  not  attract  such  attention  as  the  ungainly 
camels.  The  Makonde  proved  themselves  a  pleasant  people 
and  industrious,  rqady  to  turn  an  honest  yard  of  calico  as  wood- 
choppers  or  carriers.  They  have  been  the  prey  of  the  Arabs 
from  Zanzibar,  just  as  their  neighbors  lower  down  the  coast 
have  been  the  prey  of  the  Portuguese.  They  have  no  common 
government.  There  is  no  paramount  chief  whose  authority  is 
recognized.  They  are  all  independent,  and  bear  themselves 
independently  enough.  Of  their  personal  appearance  Living- 
stone says :  "  Their  foreheads  may  be  called  compact,  narrow, 
and  rather  low ;  the  alee  nasi  expanded  laterally ;  lips  full,  not 
excessively  thick ;  limbs  and  body  well  formed,  hands  and  feet 
small ;  color  dark  and  light  brown ;  height  middle  sized  and 
bearing  independent."  Their  language  is  very  unlike  that  of 
the  half-castes  who  constitute  the  population  of  Kiudany, 
though  their  intercourse  with  the  Arabs  has  extended  consider- 
able familiarity  with  Swaheli  among  the  Makonde.  The 
foreign  influence  has  done  nothing  toward  the  enlightenment  of 
the  natives.  There  was  the  ruin  of  a  mosque  seen  at  Kindany; 
but  the  Arabs  are  in  the  country  for  gain  ;  they  mingle  with  the 
natives  in  the  most  intimate  relations ;  there  is  no  tradition  of 
their  attempting  to  convert  them.  The  natives  might  congratu- 
late themselves,  however,  on  the  remissness  of  their  visitors  in 
this  regard;  for  if  Dr.  Livingstone  judged  rightly,  African  bar- 
barism would  be  degraded  by  the  assumption  of  Arab  virtues. 

The  trade  road,  which  is  a  path  only,  was  along  the  wadys, 
frequently  ascending  the  neighboring  heights  to  take  in  a  village, 
and  down  again  to  another  by  the  dry  channel.  The  soil  along 
the  route  was  remarkably  fertile.  As  they  penetrated  the  coun- 
try, some  of  the  cassava  bushes  were  seven  feet  high,  and  the 
pleasing  sight  of  really  heavy  crops  of  sorghum  and  maize 
awaited  the  surprise  and  delight  of  the  observer  at  every  clear- 
ing.    The  whole  region  bore  traces  of  having  been  open  and  in 


422  WONDERFUL   VEGETATION. 

a  state  of  cultivation  in  former  times.  There  is  a  noticeable 
scarcity  of  larger  vegetation,  and  the  dense,  matted,  scrubby 
crop  which  resisted  their  progress  so  stubbornly  that  even  the 
native  choppers  sometimes  were  almost  discouraged,  had  only 
sprung  up  since  the  slave-trade  had  done  its  devastating  work. 
Some  of  the  twining,  thorny  contestants  of  the  ground,  which 
annoyed  Dr.  Livingstone  most  unmercifully,  suggested  a  little 
reverence  for  Mr.  Darwin's  hints  about  vegetable  instinct.  One 
particularly  he  said  "  might  be  likened  to  the  scabbard  of  a 
dragoon's  sword ;  but  along  the  middle  of  the  flat  side  runs  a 
ridge  from  which  springs  up  every  few  inches  a  bunch  of  inch- 
long  straight,  sharp  thorns.  It  hangs  straight  for  a  couple  of 
yards ;  but  as  if  it  could  not  thus  give  its  thorns  a  fair  chance 
of  mischief,  it  suddenly  bends  on  itself,  and  all  its  cruel  points 
are  presented  at  right  angles  with  their  former  position.  It 
seems  bent  on  mischief,  and  displays  almost  malicious  delibera- 
tion in  hanging  out  its  cruel,  tangled  limbs,  which  are  sure  to 
inflict  severe  injury  on  an  unwary  traveller.  Other  climbers 
are  found  so  tough  that  no  hand  can  break  them.  One  appears 
at  its  roots  a  young  tree ;  but  true  to  the  straggling  habits  of  its 
class,  its  shoots  may  be  seen  fifty  or  sixty  feet  off,  weaving 
themselves  into  the  common  cordage  of  the  neighborhood. 

"Another  climber  is  like  the  leaf  of  an  aloe,  but  convoluted 
as  strangely  as  shavings  from  the  plane  of  a  carpenter.  It  is 
dark  green  in  color,  and  when  its  bark  is  taken  off  it  is  beauti- 
fully striated  beneath,  lighter  and  darker  green,  like  the  rings 
of  growth  on  wood ;  still  another  is  a  thin  string  with  a  succes- 
sion of  large  knobs,  and  another  has  its  bark  pinched  up  all 
round  at  intervals  so  as  to  present  a  great  many  cutting  edges. 
One  sort  need  scarcely  be  mentioned,  in  which  all  along  its 
length  are  strong  bent  hooks,  placed  in  a  way  that  will  hold 
one  if  it  can  but  grapple  with  him,  for  that  is  very  common  and 
not  like  those  mentione<],  which  the  rather  seem  to  be  stragglers 
from  the  carboniferous  period  of  geologists,  when  pachydermata 
wriggled  unscathed  among  tangled  masses  worse  than  these." 

Dr.  Livingstone  had  employed  about  ten  jolly  young  Ma- 
konde  to  deal  with  these  prehistoric  plants  in  their  own  way, 
for  they  are  accustomed  to  clearing  spaces  for  gardens,  and  went 
at  the  work  with  a  will,  using  tomahawks  well  adapted  for  tb^ 


CUTTING   VALIANTLY.  425 

work.  They  whittled  away  right  manfully,  taking  an  axe 
when  any  trees  had  to  be  cut.  Their  pay,  arranged  beforehand, 
was  to  be  one  yard  of  calico  per  day :  this  was  not  much,  seeing 
they  were  still  so  near  the  sea-coast.  Climbers  and  young 
trees  melted  before  them  like  a  cloud  before  the  sun  ! 

They  now  began  to  descend  the  northern  slope  down  to  the 
Rovuma,  and  a  glimpse  could  occasionally  be  had  of  the  coun- 
try ;  it  seemed  covered  with  great  masses  of  dark  green  forest, 
but  the  undulations  occasionally  looked  like  hills,  and  here  and 
there  a  sterculia  had  put  on  yellow  foliage  in  anticipation  of  the 
coming  winter.  More  frequently  the  vision  was  circumscribed 
to  a  few  yards  till  the  merry  woodcutters  made  the  pleasant 
scene  of  a  long  vista  fit  for  camels  to  pass :  as  a  whole,  the 
jungle  would  have  made  the  authors  of  the  natty  little  hints  to 
travellers  smile  at  their  own  productions,  good  enough,  perhaps, 
where  one  has  an  open  country  with  trees  and  hills,  by  which 
to  take  bearings,  estimate  distances,  see  that  one  point  is  on  the 
same  latitude,  another  on  the  same  longitude  with  such  another, 
and  all  to  be  laid  down  fair  and  square  with  protractor  and 
compass ;  but  popular  hints  hardly  hold  good  while  a  man  is 
struggling  for  existence  in  the  tangled  masses  of  rank  vegetation, 
which,  feeding  on  the  steamy,  smothering  moisture  from  the 
Indian  ocean,  springs  into  marvellous  luxuriance.  With  such 
a  chance,  Livingstone  assures  us  one  might  as  well  talk  of 
taking  bearings  while  encased  in  a  hogshead  with  no  window 
but  the  bung-hole ! 

It  was  easier  to  find  out  the  people  and  to  record  such  mat- 
ters as  were  nearest  him.  Very  few  traces  of  coal  were  seen, 
but  the  doctor  mentions  having  seen  gray  sandstone  like  that 
which  is  often  found  underlying  that  important  article.  The 
villagers  generally  received  him  with  the  usual  hospitality,  ex- 
changing gifts  and  kind  offices.  The  head  men  of  these  villages 
needed,  of  course,  to  associate  some  special  power  with  them- 
selves, and,  as  is  commonly  the  case,  assumed  the  distinction  of 
doctors.  They  were  not  so  confident,  however,  in  their  science^ 
or  so  wedded  to  their  particular  school,  as  their  brethren  in  near 
climes,  as  was  evinced  by  the  readiness  with  which  they  dis- 
carded any  possible  simples  when  they  had  the  opportunity  of 
benefiting  by  the  treatment  of  the  white  man. 


426  MOHAMMEDAN   INFLUENCE. 

On  the  14th  of  April  Livingstone  led  his  party  down  to  the 
1  (links  of  the  Kovuma,  opposite  some  red  cliffs  and  near  where 
tiie  "Pioneer"  had  turned  back  in  1861.  The  next  day  was 
Sunday,  and  its  rest  was  very  sweet  indeed,  though  the  traveller 
was  so  far  away  from  the  cherished  communion  of  those  who 
with  him  might  rejoice  in  the  worship  of  the  great  God  and 
sweet  experiences  of  Jesus'  love.  Most  of  his  attendants  were 
Mohammedans  in  name ;  and  while  their  faith  served  a  poor  pur- 
pose, so  far  as  their  honesty  and  truthfulness  was  concerned,  it 
was  decided  enough  to  dispute  about.  It  is  sometimes  the  case 
in  other  places  that  the  religion  which  people  profess  does  not 
amount  to  anything  more  than  a  fighting  matter.  How  Mo- 
hammedan zeal  may  kindle  and  glow  was  seen  when  an  old  Mon- 
yinko  head  man  presented  the  party  with  a  goat.  The  animal 
having  been  received,  its  execution  was  in  order.  Tliis  service 
vras  offered  by  the  Sepoys,  who  were  proceeding  to  cut  its  throat 
after  the  fashion  in  their  country,  but  the  Johannes  were  of  a 
different  sect  and  their  creed  called  for  the  cutting  of  a  goat's 
throat  by  another  pattern  than  that  in  use  by  their  co-religionists 
of  India.  The  opportunity  was  too  good  to  be  lost,  and  a  fierce 
dispute  ensued  between  these  sects  as  to  which  was  the  right  sort 
of  Moslem. 

Livingstone  was  now  in  the  line  of  the  route  he  had  projected 
years  before,  and  free  to  resume  the  undertaking  which  had 
baffled  him  then  without  discouraging  him.  He  was  freer  than 
he  was  then,  and  untrammelled  by  counsellors  or  ships.  He  might 
be  called  on  to  endure  hardships,  but  he  could  not  be  commanded 
to  return.  He  had  not  the  youth  and  vigor  though  which  had 
made  his  earlier  toils  lighter  than  they  really  were,  though  they 
seemed  hard  enough. 

From  the  point  where  he  reached  the  Rovuma  he  led  his  party 
westward,  along  the  sides  of  that  ragged  table-land  which  he  had 
formerly  seen  from  the  river  as  flanking  both  sides.  There  it 
appeared  a  range  of  hills,  shutting  in  the  Rovuma,  here  only 
spurs  were  seen  jutting  out  toward  the  river,  and  valleys  retiring 
several  miles  inland.  Sometimes  wending  their  way  around 
these  spurs  and  sometimes  toiling  over  them,  axe  in  hand,  the 
party  advanced  like  men  whose  minds  were  made  up ;  there  was 
only  one  mind  to  the  party :  that  mind  was  made  up.     It  was  a 


LYING   GUIDES.  427 

happy  thing  for  all  hands  that  there  was  no  scarcity  of  food 
along  the  path  ;  particularly  was  it  a  happy  thing  for  the  Sei)ovs 
that  rice  was  plenty,  as  the  supply  of  tiiat  commodity  which 
should  have  lasted  until  the  expedition  reached  Nyomano  was 
found  to  be  exhausted  on  the  13th. 

The  weariness  of  the  march  was  greater  than  it  should  have 
been  because  the  Sepoys  persisted  in  overburdening  the  camels, 
which  they  could  easily  do  as  Dr.  Livingstone  was  wholly  un- 
accustomed to  tiie  animals.  The  sun  too  was  beating  on  them 
with  great  force,  and  the  men  taking  their  turns  with  fever. 

Arab  guides  are  not  better  than  other  guides.  It  is  generally 
the  case  that  those  who  guide  us  for  our  convenience  and  their 
profit  seem  very  unconcerned  about  how  well  we  are  served  if 
our  ignorance  only  abets  their  impositions.  Guides  had  lied  to 
justify  their  misguidance  before  the  time  of  Ben  Ali,  and  if  they 
are  not  watched  they  will  do  it  when  the  wind  is  playing  with 
leaves  above  his  grave.  The  particular  guide  in  question  now, 
as  it  turned  out,  owed  a  duty  to  a  certain  comely  Makonde  wo- 
man, who  resided  some  distance  from  the  proper  path,  and  like 
a  dutiful  husband,  though  an  undutiful  guide,  vowed  that  the 
wrong  way  was  the  right  one  as  positively  as  ever  an  attorney 
asserted  the  worse  the  better  reason  until  his  point  was  carried. 
It  seems  to  be  no  trouble  to  the  Arab  guide  any  more  than  to 
an  attorney  when  the  point  is  carried  to  confess  the  "sharpness" 
of  the  transaction;  and  Ben  Ali  guided  his  employer  back  when 
he  had  comforted  his  spouse  and  reassured  her  of  his  aflPection 
as  pleasantly  as  he  had  led  him  aside.  The  policy  of  the  Arabs 
is  like  that  of  the  Portuguese — they  strengthen  their  influence 
with  the  natives  by  coming  down  to  them.  They  do  not  elevate 
the  African  by  it.  They  only  degrade  themselves  and  increase 
the  difficulties  to  be  met  by  those  Avho  aim  at  the  elevation  of 
the  people  in  the  scale  of  manhood. 

The  people  among  whom  they  were  passing  were  very  rude. 
The  women  particularly  seemed  to  ignore  all  restraints,  and  sur- 
passed the  men  in  the  indecency  of  their  deportment.  The  men, 
like  true  lovers,  engaged  with  eagerness  in  cutting  a  path,  and 
the  hope  of  having  a  yard  or  two  of  cloth  to  make  their  wives' 
dresses  imparted  marvellous  charms  to  the  hard  work  ;  it  was  de- 
lightful to  hear  their  merry  shouts  and  witness  the  almost  childish 


428  ALONG  THE   ROVUMA. 

glee  with  which  they  marched  against  the  most  cruel  jungles  of 
thorns  and  briers.  The  higher  up  the  river  they  went  the  more 
extravagantly  barbarous  were  the  specimens  of  tattooing  and 
lip-rings  which  presented  themselves.  There  were  very  few 
animals  seen,  hardly  any  indeed ;  none  exist  scarcely  in  the 
country  through  which  they  passed  except  elephants,  hippopotami 
and  pigs. 

Ascending  tlie  Rovuma,  they  were  still  in  the  territory  of  the 
Makonde,  and  retracing  in  large  measure  the  former  route,  ex- 
cept that  instead  of  sailing  along  the  river  they  were  walking 
along  the  highlands  and  valleys.  Now  and  then  a  familiar  face 
was  presented  to  the  doctor,  and  some  faces  associated  rather  un- 
jdeasantly  with  the  events  of  his  former  expedition.  The  camels 
find  buffaloes  were  frequently  bitten  by  the  tsetse  witliout  ex- 
Jubiting  special  inconvenience. 

At  the  Nangadi  river,  a  broad  stream  which  rises  in  a  lakelet 
f  ome  eight  or  ten  miles  from  the  Rovuma,  begins  the  territory 
cf  the  Mabiha.  A  few  miles  above  this  gap  the  southern  high- 
lands fall  away,  and  there  are  broad  marshes  known  as  the  Ma- 
tembwe  flats  ;  numerous  lakelets  are  seen  glistening  in  the  sun- 
shine here  and  there ;  and  away  from  these  flats  extends  the 
Matembwe  country,  famous  for  its  beautiful  women,  and  boasting 
an  astonishing  supply  of  elephants  and  gum-copal.  Such  a 
country  could  hardly  fail  to  attract  the  Arab  traders. 

On  the  25th  of  April  Dr.  Livingstone  was  at  a  village  called 
Nachuchu,  enjoying  the  day  of  rest  so  welcome  to  the  man  who 
has  fulfilled  the  conditions  of  life  on  which  the  great  Judge  pre- 
dicated the  consecration  of  the  seventh  day.  Men  only  find 
occasion  to  complain  of  one  of  God's  requirements  when  they 
isolate  it.  No  one  command  of  God  is  hard  when  the  others 
are  kept.  Nobody  will  think  the  Sabbath  dull  who  approaches 
it  prepared  for  its  rest  to  body  and  spirit  by  a  faithful  employ- 
ment of  the  six  days,  and  by  a  proper  appreciation  of  the  rela- 
tions so  clearly  set  forth  in  the  Bible.  Livmgstone  was  greatly 
disappointed  in  not  being  able  to  communicate  with  the  natives. 
The  Nassick  boys,  on  whom  lie  had  depended  as  understanding 
their  language,  failed  him  utterly,  and  he  could  only  take  such 
representations  of  them  as  AH  gave;  he  had  only  the  oj)inions 
of  his  class,  and  men  are  easily  convinced  of  the  impracticability 


TROUBLES  WITH   FOLLOWERS.  429 

of  that  which  they  are  unwilling  to  attempt.  It  is  easier  to 
say  that  such  heathen  as  these  along  the  llovuma  cannot  be 
taught  anything  than  it  is  to  teach  them,  therefore  the  covetous 
representatives  of  the  Moslem  creeds  say  with  eagerness :  "  They 
cannot  be  instructed ;  they  know  nothing  of  God ;  have  no  idea 
of  God  ;  it  is  impossible ; "  that  is  the  way  Ben  Ali  talked  about 
the  Makonde  on  Sunday  at  Nachuchu. 

While  examining  a  specimen  of  the  gum-copal  tree  with  some 
of  these  Makonde,  in  the  vicinity  of  Nachuchu,  there  was  at 
least  a  little  evidence  picked  up  which  contradicted  the  Arabs' 
representations.  The  people  dig  in  the  vicinity  of  modern  trees 
in  the  belief  that  more  ancient  trees,  which  droj^ped  their  gum 
before  it  became  an  article  of  commerce,  must  have  stood  there. 
Speaking  of  this,  some  of  them  said:  "  In  digging  none  may  be 
found  on  one  day,  but  God  (Mungu)  may  give  it  to  us  on  the 
next."  This  simple  remark,  made  as  naturally  as  any  other, 
revealed  certainly  more  than  an  idle  dream  only  of  God.  It 
breathed  much  like  faith,  and  not  improbably  expressed  a  spirit 
of  submission  to  God  and  dependence  on  his  care  which  Ben 
Ali  had  never  dreamed  of,  although  a  boasting  follower  of 
Mohammed. 

As  may  be  seen  by  a  glance  at  the  map,  Livingstone  was  only 
about  one  hundred  miles  from  the  coast  at  Nachuchu.  The 
villanous  vagabonds  who  had  charge  of  his  camels  subjected 
him  to  the  inconvenience  of  distressingly  slow  travel.  The 
difficulties  had  been  great  enough  supposing  his  attendants  the 
best,  but  between  rascally  Sepoys  and  impenetrable  jungles  it 
had  been  impossible  to  make  more  than  four  miles  a  day.  After 
leaving  Nachuchu  the  country  was  more  open,  and  the  party  ad- 
vanced without  the  continual  cutting  that  had  been  necessary 
before.  Livingstone  described  the  scenery  as  beautiful.  The 
country  Avas  covered  with  great  masses  of  umbrageous  foliage, 
mostly  of  a  dark  green  color ;  the  leaves  of  nearly  all  the  trees 
have  the  glossiness  of  the  laurel.  The  kumbe  or  gum-copal 
tree  is  conspicuous  among  the  trees  of  these  forests,  and  perhaps 
possesses  for  the  traveller  more  interest  than  any  other  on  ac- 
count of  the  important  contribution  it  makes  to  the  commerce 
of  the  country.  Burton  makes  more  particular  mention  of  this 
tree  than  Dr.  Livingstone  does :  he  says,  "  it  is  by  no  means  a 


430  THE  GUM-COPAL  TREE. 

scrubby  thorn,  as  some  have  supposed ;  its  towering  bole  has 
formed  canoes  sixty  feet  long,  and  a  single  tree  has  sufficed  for 
the  kelson  of  a  brig.  The  average  size,  however,  is  about  half 
that  height,  with  from  three  to  six  feet  girth  near  the  ground  ; 
the  bark  is  smooth ;  the  lower  branches  are  often  within  the 
reach  of  a  man's  hand,  and  the  tree  frequently  emerges  from  a 
natural  ring-fence  of  dense  vegetation ;  the  trunk  is  of  a  yellowish 
whitish  tinge,  rendering  the  tree  conspicuous  amid  the  dark 
African  jungle  growths;  it  is  dotted  with  exudations  of  raw  gum 
which  is  found  scattered  in  bits  around  its  base,  and  is  infested 
by  ants,  especially  by  a  long  ginger-colored  and  semi-transparent 
variety,  called  by  the  people  maji-m'oto,  which  means  boiling 
water,  from  its  fiery  bite. 

The  special  interest  attaching  to  the  tree  is  on  account  of  its 
gum,  which  is  probably  the  only  article  convertible  into  the 
finer  varnishes  now  so  extensively  in  use  throughout  the  civilized 
world.  It  is  not  the  gum  which  is  collected  from  the  trees 
which  possesses  this  peculiar  excellence.  This  is  distinguished 
as  raw  copal,  and  is  of  comparatively  little  value.  The  true  or 
ripe  copal,  properly  called  sandumsi,  is  the  produce  of  vast  ex- 
tinct forests.  The  gum  buried  at  depths  beyond  atmosphei'ic 
influence  has,  like  amber  and  similar  gum-resins,  been  bifcii- 
menized  in  all  its  purity,  the  volatile  principles  being  fixed  by 
moisture  and  by  the  expulsion  of  external  air.  There  are  raauy 
tints  and  peculiarities  known  only  to  those  whose  interests  com- 
pel them  to  search  them  out.  As  a  rule,  the  clear  and  semi- 
transparent  are  the  best.  According  to  some  authorities,  tlie 
gum  when  long  kept  has  been  observed  to  change  its  tinge. 
There  are  nearly  one  million  pounds  of  this  valuable  substance 
exported  every  year  from  Zanzibar. 

Another  tree  deserving  special  mention  was  the  malole.  The 
grain  of  the  wood  of  this  tree  is  particularly  fine,  and  it  is 
sought  among  all  the  trees  because  of  its  excellence  in  the  quali- 
ties of  strengtli  and  elasticity;  nearly  all  the  bows  of  the  country 
are  made  of  it.  The  fruit,  however,  though  so  very  tempting 
to  the  eye,  forms  only  a  feast  for  maggots. 

Livingstone  appreciatetl  very  highly  the  natural  beauties  of 
the  region.  But  as  he  advanced,  the  unworthy  Indian  attend- 
ants became  increasingly  worthless.    They  possessed  marvellous 


EXTRAVAGANT  TATTOOING.  431 

voracity,  and,  besides,  a  most  unnatural  capacity,  wiiich  without 
any  peculiar  attainment  would  have  told  dreadfully  on  the 
stoc;k  in  store  of  precious  food.  Besides  their  wonderful  capacity 
they  were  most  remarkable  dyspeptics;  accomplished  beyond 
all  conception  in  the  unpardouably  wasteful  art  of  ejecting  in- 
stantaneously what  they  had  eaten,  their  voracious  powers 
were  only  equalled  by  their  amazing  vomition. 

If  those  Sepoys  were  specimens  of  their  class,  then  would  we 
advise  all  travellers  to  beware  of  Sepoys.  From  the  frequency 
with  which  Livingstone  complained  of  this  batch  we  are  im- 
pressed that  they  should  have  gone  with  him  for  nothing  and 
paid  extra  board  besides.  Either  the  cruelties  of  these  men  or 
the  tsetse,  or  both,  were  beginning  to  tell  on  the  camels  and  the 
buffaloes.  They  were  rapidly  becoming  a  burden  rather  than  a 
help.  The  people,  however,  when  they  had  food  were  quite 
generous.  The  villages  of  the  Makoude  were  generally  quite 
cleanly  and  pleasant  looking.  These  were  sometimes  found  in 
a  state  of  anxiety  on  account  of  the  kidnapping  pi'oclivities  of 
their  neighbors  on  the  south  side  of  the  Rovuma,  who  bear  the 
general  name  of  Mabiha.  These  people  are  considerably  inter- 
ested in  furnishing  slaves  for  the  Ibo  market,  and  not  unfre- 
quently,  if  occasion  offers,  the  women  of  the  Makonde  become 
victims.  There  is  hardly  a  sadder  picture  of  home  life  than  is 
presented  by  a  little  African  village  about  which  a  hasty  stocksde 
has  been  thrown,  behind  which  the  people  go  timidly  about  their 
duties,  in  hourly  expectation  of  the  enemy  who  has  fixed  avaricious 
eyes  on  the  choicest  of  their  number. 

After  crossing  the  N'lvonya,  a  beautiful  stream  flowing  out  of 
the  highlands  from  the  north  into  the  Rovuma,  the  last  of  the 
range  which  flanks  the  river  on  that  side  was  seen,  and  the 
country  which  lay  before  them  was  a  plain,  with  a  few  detached 
granitic  peaks  shooting  up.  In  this  neighborhood  there  were 
some  very  remarkable  specimens  of  personal  ornamentation  dis- 
played with  unconcealed  pride.  The  fashion  of  the  reuiou 
called  for  an  extravagance  of  tattooing.  The  lovely  belles  ^^•ho 
displayed  their  proportions  with  shameless  freedom  were  not 
only  adorned,  as  are  other  maidens  of  the  land,  about  their  faces 
and  breasts,  but  their  entire  persons  seem  to  have  been  at  the 
command  of  the  artist,  and  especially  elaborate  were  the  designs 
22 


462  TOP  OF  THE   FASHION. 

that  graced  the  Immbler  parts.  The  hips  displayed  uncommon 
skill,  and  were  surpassed  only  by  the  eccentricities  which  were 
traced  along  those  posterior  convexities  which  our  refined  con- 
ventionality blushes  to  denominate — but  African  belles  are  not 
ashamed  of  their  buttocks.  One  of  these  beauties  called  at  the 
doctor's  camp  at  the  village  of  Nyamba,  and  presented  a  very 
acceptable  basket  of  soroko  and  a  fowl,  and  as  a  specimen  of  the 
native  women  of  the  section  it  may  be  mentioned  that  this  lady 
is  described  as  "  tall  and  well  made,  with  fine  limbs  and  feet." 
Such  language,  too,  from  so  sober  an  observer  as  Dr.  Living- 
stone, viewing  people  as  he  did  with  the  eye  of  a  scientist,  means 
more  in  Africa  than  it  could  mean  in  those  nearer  climes  where 
the  arts  of  civilization  have  so  greatly  facilitated  the  disguise  of 
all  deformities  and  imperfections  ;  there  is  no  place  for  shams, 
no  possibility  of  padding  in  a  land  where  a  lady's  attire  consists 
of  a  few  strands  of  beads,  and  possibly  a  few  inches  of  cloth. 

After  leaving  the  end  of  the  range,  passing  Avestward,  the 
"journal  "  mentions,  among  the  noticeable  natural  changes, 
"  first  of  all,  sandstone  hardened  by  fire  ;  then  masses  of  granite, 
as  if  in  that  had  been  contained  the  igneous  agency  of  partial 
jnetamorphosis ;  it  had  also  lifted  up  the  sandstone,  so  as  to 
cause  a  dip  to  the  east.  Then  the  syenite  or  granite  seemed  as 
if  it  had  been  melted,  for  it  was  all  in  striae,  which  striae,  as 
they  do  elsewhere,  run  east  and  west.  With  the  change  in  geo- 
logic structure  there  was  a  different  vegetation.  Instead  of  the 
laurel-leaved  trees  of  various  kinds,  African  ebonies,  acacias, 
and  mimosas  appeared,  the  grass  is  shorter  and  more  sparse,  and 
we  can  move  along  without  wood-cutting." 

Between  the  Sepoys  and  the  tsetse  the  animals  were  now 
pretty  well  used  up,  and  they  were  about  entering  a  section 
where  a  double  misfortune  had  spread  distressing  desolation 
among  the  people.  Livingstone  determined  to  leave  the  Sepoys 
and  the  Nassick  boys  with  the  animals  at  Jponde,  which  stood 
opposite  a  gigantic  hill  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  called 
Nakapuri.  He  thought  it  was  wiser  to  depend  on  those  behind 
no  further  than  was  necessary,  so  he  transferred  all  his  goods  to 
carriers  and  set  out,  heartily  glad  to  be  relieved  for  a  time  at 
least  of  the  provoking  incubus  of  eighteen  or  twenty  lazy  fel- 
lows who  were  retarding  his  work  almost  insufferably. 


ARRIVAL   AT   NYOMANO.  433 

One  of  the  plagues  to  which  the  country  had  been  subject  was 
an  invasion  of  the  Mazitu,  whose  plundering  propensities  con- 
stitute one  of  the  most  serious  evils  in  all  the  lake  region ; 
another  was  a  very  distressing  drought.  As  he  advanced  the 
embarrassment  became  greater.  The  Mazitu  had  swept  the 
land  like  a  cloud  of  locusts.  They  had  inspired  the  whole  popu- 
lation with  terror.  It  was  almost  impossible  to  get  his  carriers 
along,  and  as  the  south  side  of  the  river  promised  better  fare  ho 
at  length  consented  to  their  entreaties,  and  they  passed  over  and 
journeyed  on  to  the  Loendi  just  above  its  confluence  with  the 
Rovuma,  and  though  it  retained  the  name  Loendi,  it  was  mani- 
festly the  parent  stream.  Both  rivers  were  rapid,  shoal  and 
sandy,  with  light  canoes  gliding  about  on  them,  in  whose  dex- 
terous management  the  natives  take  great  pride. 

Nyomano  was  at  last  reached.  It  occupied  the  very  impor- 
tant situation  just  at  the  confluence  of  the  two  rivers.  Matu- 
mova,  the  head  man,  received  Livingstone  with  great  cordiality 
and  respect ;  he  had  himself  crossed  the  Loendi  and  superin- 
tended the  transportation  of  the  party,  and  though  he  had  been 
sadly  impoverished,  and  his  people  reduced  to  absolute  want, 
he  generously  divided  his  small  store  with  Dr.  Livingstone  as 
long  as  he  remained  at  his  village.  The  guide,  Ben  Ali,  was  dis- 
charged, and  the  country  around  scoured  by  the  men  in  search 
of  food.  Meantime,  also,  word  was  sent  back  to  the  Sepoys, 
but  his  efforts  to  make  something  of  them  were  more  honorable 
to  himself  than  effectual.  The  time  passed  heavily  ;  very  short 
marches.  The  journal  of  his  travels  for  days  contains  very 
little  besides  the  annoyances  experienced  with  his  trifling  escort : 
they  had  so  abused  the  camels  that  they  were  most  of  them 
dead,  and  none  of  them  any  longer  fit  for  service,  while  they 
themselves  could  scarcely  be  trusted  to  carry  anything  of  value. 

In  the  Matembwe  country  he  was  in  the  favorite  fields  of  the 
Arab  slave-tradei-s.  Everywhere  the  huts  were  seen  which 
these  traders  had  built  to  screen  themselves  from  the  sun.  Many 
of  the  people  were  found  supplie<l  with  guns,  and  the  ground 
was  strewn  with  slave-taming  sticks,  which  gave  sorrowful  evi- 
dence of  the  multitudes  of  poor  creatures  who  had  fallen  down 
under  the  cruelties  of  their  masters  while  on  the  march  to  the 
market  at  the  coast.     Livingstone  was  now  indeed  penetrating 


434  THE  SLAVE-TRADE. 

the  continent  for  the  special  purpose  of  deciding  some  great 
geographical  questions  as  fully  as  it  might  be  in  his  power,  but 
his  great  heart  was  full  of  anguish  as  he  contemplated  daily  the 
misery  which  this  accursed  traffic  had  brought  to  the  poor  un- 
taught beings  who  had  been  made  its  victims. 

The  temptation  which  these  traders  have  to  offer  readily 
;iffects  the  minds  of  many  of  the  natives  who  exercise  a  petty 
authority  over  their  fellows.  Sometimes  those  who  are  sold  are 
captives  in  some  village  war;  sometimes  they  are  accused  of 
a  trifling  crime  as  a  justification,  and  they  are  sometimes  simply 
taken  by  violence  and  sold.  There  is  very  little  difficulty  about 
an  Arab  with  beads  or  cloth  obtaining  all  the  claim  he  desires  to 
any  particular  man  or  M^oman  on  whom  he  may  fix  his  choice, 
and  when  once  the  slave  yoke  is  on  the  unfortunate  creature,  he 
may  hardly  hope  to  escape.  On  the  19th  of  June,  Livingstone 
mentions  passing  a  w^oman  tied  by  the  neck  to  a  tree  dead ;  at 
other  times  men  were  found  stabbed,  some  who  had  been  shot  or 
struck  with  the  axe.  Tliese  the  natives  said  Were  those  who  had 
been  so  unfortunate  as  to  fall  down  of  fatigue ;  they  were  no 
longer  able  to  walk,  and  must  become  the  victims  of  the  anger 
of  their  masters,  when  it  ^vas  clear  that  they  could  not  con- 
tribute to  their  wealth.  Livingstone  lost  no  opportunity  to 
urge  on  the  minds  of  the  head  men  of  the  villages  with  whom  he 
(•ame  in  contact  the  great  and  irreparable  mischief  they  were 
doing  themselves  by  hearkening  to  the  voice  of  their  tempters ; 
Avarning  them  that  the  trade  which  seemed  to  enrich  them  for 
the  time  was  rapidly  depopulating  their  villages,  leaving  their 
gardens  desolate  and  diminishing  their  strength.  These  head 
men  seemed  to  be  a  little  uneasy  about  it.  They  recognized  the 
unrighteousness  of  selling  their  people  even  according  to  their 
rude  ideas  of  justice  and  wisdom,  but  they  were  up  to  the  old 
trick  of  blaming  some  one  else  for  their  faults.  Village  after 
village  which  was  passed  as  the  party  journeyed  along  the 
Rovuma  was  found  deserted.  One  of  these  villages  liad  only 
been  deserted  a  few  hours  before  Livingstone  entered  it ;  its  in- 
habitants had  moved  off  in  a  body  towards  the  Notembue  coun- 
try, where  food  was  more  abundant,  and  a  poor  little  girl  was 
found  in  one  of  the  huts.  She  was  too  weak  to  travel,  and  had 
been  left  behind,   and   there  is  a  wealth  of  tenderness  in   the 


THE  MAKOA.  437 

simple  entry  which  is  found  in  the  great  traveller's  journal — 
"  probably  she  was  an  orphan."  His  own  children  were  far 
away ;  their  mother  had  gone  on  to  her  rest;  he  was  toiling  for 
the  redemption  of  Africa.  Who  knows  with  what  depth  of 
feeling  the  great  man,  sitting  in  his  lonely  hut  that  night,  wrote 
the  sad-sounding  sentence  about  a  poor  little  abandoned  African 
child? — "probably  she  was  an  orphan."  Surely  our  hearts 
ought  not  to  be  hard  toward  these  unfortunate  people.  The 
children  of  Africa  may  not  have  evinced  the  same  talents,  may 
not  indeed  possess  the  same  capacities  as  those  about  our  fire- 
sides, but  they  are  children,  needing  tenderness  and  love. 

The  Makoa,  who  occupy  the  section  along  the  Rovuma,  lived 
in  the  southeast  in  former  times,  and  were  distinguished  by  the 
tattoo  mark,  which  was  in  the  shape  of  a  half-moon.  But  since 
they  have  lived  in  the  Waiyau  country,  they  have  adopted  marks 
more  like  theirs.  They  are  less  scrupulous  about  their  diet 
than  the  Makonde.  They  eat  the  flesh  of  all  such  animals  as 
they  esteem  clean.  They  condemn  that  of  the  hyena  and  leop- 
ard, or  any  beast  which  devours  dead  men.  One  of  the  most 
prominent  of  the  head  men  of  this  tribe,  whose  name  was  Chiri- 
kaloma,  informed  Dr.  Livingstone  that  they  were  the  descend- 
ants of  an  ancestor  whose  name  was  Mirazi,  and  that  this  was 
properly  the  surname  of  the  tribe.  Near  one  of  these  villages 
Livingstone  observed  a  wand  bent  down  and  both  ends  inserted 
into  the  ground :  a  lot  of  medicine,  usually  the  bark  of  trees,  is  * 
buried  beneath  it.  When  sickness  is  in  a  village,  the  men  pro- 
ceed to  the  spot,  wash  themselves  with  the  medicine  and  water, 
creep  through  beneath  the  bough,  then  bury  the  medicine  and 
the  evil  influence  together.  This  is  also  used  to  keep  off*  evil 
spirits,  wild  beasts,  and  enemies.  The  people  do  not  seem  as 
superstitious  either  as  some  of  the  tribes  that  have  come  to  our 
notice.  In  the  matter  of  deformities,  for  instance.  Dr.  Livnig- 
stone  was  asking  Chirikaloma  about  their  treatment  of  albinos ; 
he  assured  the  doctor  that  the  Makoa  never  killed  them.  The 
parental  tenderness  does  not  relinquish  the  child  because  of  any 
blemish,  as  in  some  other  communities.  Livingstone  was  told 
of  a  cliild  in  this  tribe  which  was  deformed  from  his  birth.  Ho 
had  an  abortive  toe  where  his  knee  should  have  been  ;  some  said 
to  his  mother,  "  Kill  him  ;  "  but  she  replied,  "  How  can  I  kill 


438  A   WOMAN   RESCUED. 

my  son?  "  IIo  grew  up  and  had  many  fine  sons  and  daughters, 
but  none  deformed  like  himself. 

After  leaving  the  village  of  Chirikaloma,  while  passing  along 
in  the  bright  morning,  they  were  loudly  accosted  by  a  well- 
dressed  woman  who  had  just  had  a  very  heavy  slave-taming 
stick  put  on  her  neck;  she  called  in  such  an  authoritative  tone 
to  them  to  witness  the  flagrant  injustice  of  which  she  was  the 
victim  that  all  the  men  stood  still  and  went  to  hear  the  case. 
She  was  a  near  relative  of  Chirikaloma,  and  was  going  up  the 
river  to  her  husband,  when  the  old  man  (at  whose  house  she  was 
now  a  prisoner)  caught  her,  took  her  servant  away  from  her,  and 
kept  her  in  the  degraded  state  they  saw.  The  withes  with 
which  she  was  bound  were  green  and  sappy.  The  old  man  said, 
in  justification,  that  she  was  running  away  from  Chirikaloma, 
and  he  would  be  offended  with  him  if  he  did  not  secure  her. 

Livingstone  asked  the  officious  old  gentleman  in  a  friendly 
tone  what  he  expected  to  receive  from  Chirikaloma,  and  he  said, 
"Nothing."  Several  slaver-looking  fellows  came  about,  and  he 
felt  sure  that  the  woman  had  been  seized  in  order  to  sell  her  to 
them,  so  he  gave  the  captor  a  cloth  to  pay  to  Chirikaloma  if  he 
Avere  offended,  and  told  him  to  say  that  he,  feeling  ashamed  to 
see  one  of  his  relatives  in  a  slave-stick,*  had  released  her,  and 
would  take  her  on  to  her  husband. 

This  woman  was  evidently  a  lady  among  them ;  her  su})e- 
riority  not  only  consisted  in  the  rank  which  a  wealth  of  fine 
beads  indicated,  but  she  was  manifestly  a  woman  of  uncommon 
spirits.  She  proved  herself  well  worthy  of  the  kindness  she  had 
rec<3ived.  During  the  few  days  in  which  she  was  with  Living- 
stone's party,  her  deportment  was  that  of  a  lady,  kind  and  help- 
ful, but  modest  and  retiring  enough  to  satisfy  even  the  fastidious 
prudence  of  the  most  refined.  And  she  was  not  ungrateful.  She 
had  been  rescued  from  a  dreadful  fate  indeed ;  a  few  moments 
earlier  or  later  she  might  have  reached  no  friendly,  pitying 
cars  with  her  cries.  Yes,  there  are  ears  always  open  to  the  cry 
of  the  oppressed  ;  there  are  eyes  that  always  bend  pityingly  on 
the  suffering.  Sometimes  the  Lord  allows  the  yoke  to  cut 
deeply  into  the  neck  that  bears  it,  but  does  he  ever  forget  to  be 
gracious?  Will  he  disregard  the  cry  of  Ethiopia  when  she 
stretches  out  her  hands  unto  him?  and  when  the  time  of  his  dc" 


HORRORS   OF  TUE  TRADE   IN   SLAVES.  441 

liverance  comes,  will  he  not  avenge  the  wrongs  which  he  has 
witnessed  ? 

The  marks  of  the  dreadful  trade  became  more  and  more  fre- 
quent as  he  penetrated  the  Waiyau  country.  They  had  hardly 
released  Akosakone,  when  they  passed  a  slave  woman  shot  or 
stabbed  through  the  body,  and  lying  in  the  path.  A  group  of 
men  stood  about  a  hundred  yards  off  on  one  side,  and  another 
group  of  women  on  the  other ;  they  said  this  cruel  murder  had 
just  been  committed  by  an  Arab  who  passed  by,  in  his  auger  at 
losing  the  price  he  had  paid  for  her,  when  he  saw  that  she  could 
walk  no  farther.  The  head  men  of  the  villages  seemed  greatly 
troubled  and  alarmed  when  they  were  told  of  so  many  dead 
bodies  of  their  people,  who  had  been  killed  by  the  slavers,  and 
were  not  blind  to  the  reasoning  of  Livingstone  when  he  at- 
tempted to  show  them  that  those  who  sold  these  poor  creatures 
to  the  Arabs  were  sharers  with  them  in  the  guilt  of  these  mur- 
ders. As  the  party  came  nearer  Mtarika's  place,  the  country 
became  more  mountainous,  and  the  land,  sloping  for  a  mile  down 
to  the  south  bank  of  the  Rovuma,  supports  a  large  population. 
Some  were  making  new  gardens  by  cutting  down  trees  and 
piling  the  branches  for  burning;  others  had  stored  up,  large 
quantities  of  grain  and  were  moving  it  to  a  new  locality,  but 
they  were  all  so  well  supplied  with  calico  (Merikano)  that  they 
would  not  look  at  Dr.  Livingstone's;  the  market  was,  in  fact, 
glutted  by  slavers  from  Quiloa  (Kilwa).  On  asking  why  peo- 
ple were  seen  tied  to  trees  to  die  as  we  had  seen  them,  they  gave 
the  usual  answer  that  the  Arabs  tie  them  thus  and  leave  them 
to  perish,  because  they  are  vexed,  when  the  slaves  can  walk  no 
farther,  that  they  have  lost  their  money  by  them.  The  path  was 
almost  strewed  with  slave-sticks,  and  though  the  people  denied 
it,  Livingstone  suspected  that  they  made  a  practice  of  following 
slave  caravans  and  cutting  off  the  sticks  from  those  who  fall  out 
in  the  march,  and  thus  stealing  them.  By  selling  them  again 
they  might  get  additional  quantities  of  cloth.  Some  asked  for 
gaudy  prints,  of  which  he  had  none,  because  he  knew  that  the 
general  taste  of  the  Africans  of  the  interior  is  for  strength 
rather  than  show  in  what  they  buy. 

These  people  were,  however,  so  well  supplied  with  white 
calico  by  the  slave-traders  that  it  was  found  to  be  a  drug  in  the 


442  CURRENCY   FOR   AFRICA. 

market;  it  was  impossible  to  get  food  for  it.  Mtarika's  old 
place  was  reached  firet.  The  Rovuma  was  there  about  one 
hundred  yards  wide.  The  rest  which  was  indulged  in  at  this 
point  was  refreshing,  as  rest  must  ever  be  to  honest  workers  who 
take  it  with  clear  consciences ;  but  it  was  obtained  at  a  cost 
which  almost  turned  the  edge  of  it.  The  accommodations  were 
paid  for  dearly  with  the  best  table  clothes.  The  reader  has 
surely  come  to  understand  long  ago  that,  in  Africa,  the  only 
bank  notes  are  pieces  of  cloth,  and  the  only  hard  money,  beads 
and  the  like.  When  Mr.  Stanley  entered  Africa  in  search  of 
Dr.  Livingstone,  he  carried  several  tons  of  currency,  and  then 
was  sometimes  in  danger  of  running  short.  With  the  uncom- 
mon outlay  at  the  resting-place  he  obtained  only  one  meal  a  day. 
The  people  were  Waiyau,  as  were  all  the  people  from  there  on 
to  the  lake.  They  are  as  deeply  interested  in  the  slave-trade  as 
any  people  in  East  Africa,  and  copy  the  Arabs  in  various 
matters — dress,  chewing  tobacco,  etc.  The  list  of  animals  had 
now  dwindled  down  to  a  poodle-dog,  known  in  the  camp  as 
Chitaue,  a  buffalo  calf,  and  a  single  donkey.  These  were  nearly 
as  great  curiosities  in  the  land  as  the  white  man  himself. 
Kothing  which  Livingstone  could  find  out  indicated  that  the 
people  had  ever  seen  a  white  man  before. 

At  the  new  town  of  Mtarika,  which  was  entered,  afler  a  short 
march,  on  the  3d  of  July,  they  came  on  an  interesting  sceae. 
This  chief  had  gathered  about  him  an  immense  population,  and 
the  new  town  had  been  laid  out  quite  regularly  over  an  area 
miles  in  extent.  Mtarika  was  a  "  big  ugly  man,"  full  of  caution 
and  curiosity. 

It  seemed  unadvisable  to  attempt  to  follow  the  Rovuma 
farther.  Livingstone  had  now  no  doubt  about  its  flowing  from 
Lake  Nyassa,  which  was  only  about  sixty  miles  away ;  and  to 
continue  on  that  route  he  would  be  subjected  to  great  incon- 
venience because  of  the  unsalableness  of  his  goods,  as  the 
markets  in  that  direction  were  clearly  overstocked  already  by 
the  Arabs;  besides  they  would  be  compelled,  as  he  ascertained, 
to  cross  several  rivers  flowing  into  the  Rovuma  from  the  south, 
and  then  in  j)assing  aroinid  the  northern  end  of  the  lake  would 
be  among  the  Nindi,  who  are  only  surpassed  in  their  thieving 
propensities  by  the  Mozitu,  whom  they  have  succeeded  as  occu- 


oilXTRACT  FROM   LAST  JOURNAL.  .    443 

pants  of  the  land.  It  was  therefore  determined  to  turn  south- 
ward and  push  on  a  good  eight  days  march  across  a  desolate 
region  to  the  town  of  Mataka.  Accordingly  on  the  morning 
of  the  5th  the  party  passed  on  to  Mtendi,  the  last  chief,  until 
they  should  reach  Mataka.  It  was  a  serious  undertaking — eight 
days  journey  through  a  wilderness  desolated  by  famine,  where 
no  human  habitation  could  be  expected  to  appear,  but  Living- 
stone was  accustomed  to  serious  undertakings.  A  page  or  two 
from  Livingstone's  journal,  just  as  tiie  experiences  were  put  down 
on  the  evening  of  each  day,  cannot  fail  to  interest  the  reader, 
and  we  are  glad  to  have  it  at  hand. 

"July  7. — We  got  men  from  Mtendi  to  carry  loads  and  show 
the  way.  He  asked  a  cloth  to  ensure  his  people  going  to  the 
journey's  end  and  behaving  properly  ;  this  is  the  only  case  of 
anything  like  tribute  being  demanded  in  this  journey.  I  gave 
hira  a  cloth  worth  5s.  6d  Upland  vegetation  prevails ;  trees 
are  dotted  here  and  there  among  bushes  five  feet  high,  and  fine 
blue  and  yellow  flowers  are  common.  We  pass  over  a  succession 
of  ridges  and  valleys  as  in  Londa  ;  each  valley  has  a  running 
stream  or  trickling  rill;  garden  willows  are  in  full  bloom,  and 
also  a  species  of  sage  with  variegated  leaves  beneath  the  flowers, 

"July  8. — Hard  travelling  through  a  depopulated  country. 
The  trees  are  about  the  size  of  hop-poles,  with  abundance  of  tall 
grass;  the  soil  is  sometimes  a  little  sandy,  at  other  times  that 
reddish,  clayey  sort  which  yields  native  grain  so  Avell.  The 
rock  seen  uppermost  is  often  a  ferruginous  conglomerate,  lying 
on  granite  rocks.  The  gum-copal  tree  is  here  a  mere  bush,  and 
no  digging  takes  place  for  the  gum  :  it  is  called  rachenga,  an<l 
yields  gum  when  wounded,  as  also  bark,  cloth,  and  cordage 
when  stripped.  Mountain  masses  are  all  around  us ;  we  sleep 
at  Linata  mountain. 

"July  9. — Tile  Masuko  fruit  abounds :  the  name  is  the  same 
here  as  in  the  Batoka  country ;  there  are  also  rhododendrons  of 
two  species,  but  the  flowers  white.  We  slept  in  a  wild  spot, 
near  Mount  Leziro,  with  many  lions  roaring  about  us ;  one 
hoarse  fellow  serenaded  us  a  long  time,  but  did  nothing  more. 
Game  is  said  to  be  abundant,  but  we  saw  none,  save  an  occa- 
sional diver  springing  away  from  the  path.  Some  streams  ran 
to  the  northwest  to  the  Lismyando,  which  flows  north  for  the 
Bovuma :  others  to  the  southeast  for  the  Loeudi. 


444  A   DESERTED   VILLA.GE. 

"July  10  and  11. — Nothing  to  interest  but  the  same  weary 
trudge  :  our  food  so  scarce  that  we  can  only  give  a  handful  or 
half  a  pound  of  grain  to  each  person  per  day.  The  Masuko 
fruit  is  formed,  but  not  ripe  till  rains  begin ;  very  few  birds  are 
seen  or  heard,  though  there  is  both  food  and  water  in  the  many 
grain-bearing  grasses  and  running  streams,  which  we  cross  at 
the  junction  of  every  two  ridges.  A  dead  body  lay  in  a  hut  by 
the  wayside;  the  poor  thing  had  begun  to  make  a  garden  by  the 
stream,  probably  in  hopes  of  living  long  enough  (two  months 
or  so)  on  wild  fruits  to  reap  a  crop  of  maize. 

^^July  12. — A  drizzling  mist  set  in  during  the  night  and  con- 
tinued this  morning ;  we  set  off  in  the  dark,  however,  leaving 
our  last  food  for  the  havildar  and  Sepoys  who  had  not  yet  come 
up.  The  streams  are  now  of  good  size.  An  Arab  brandy  bottle 
was  lying  broken  in  one  village  called  Msapa.  We  hurried  on 
as  fast  as  we  could  to  the  Luatize,  our  last  stage  before  getting 
to  Mataka's  -,  this  stream  is  rapid,  about  forty  yards  wide,  waist 
deep,  with  many  podostemons  on  the  bottom.  The  country  gets 
more  and  more  undidating  and  is  covered  with  masses  of  green 
foliage,  chiefly  Masuko  trees,  which  have  large  hard  leaves. 
There  are  hippopotami  farther  down  the  river  on  its  way  to  the 
Loendi.  A  little  rice  which  had  been  kept  for  me  I  divided, 
but  some  did  not  taste  food. 

"July  13. — A  good  many  stragglers  behind,  but  we  push  on 
to  get  Ibod  and  send  it  back  to  them.  The  soil  all  reddish  clay, 
the  roads  baked  hard  by  the  sun,  and  the  feet  of  many  of  us 
are  weary  and  sore :  a  weary  march  and  long,  for  it  is  perpetually 
up  and  down  now.  I  counted  fifteen  running  streams  in  one 
day :  they  are  at  the  bottom  of  the  valley  which  separates  the 
ridges.  We  got  to  the  brow  of  a  ridge  about  an  hour  from 
Mataka's  first  gardens,  and  all  were  so  tired  that  we  remained 
to  sleep ;  but  we  first  invited  volunteers  to  go  on  and  buy  food, 
and  bring  it  back  early  next  morning :  they  had  to  be  pressed 
to  do  this  duty. 

"July  14. — As  our  volunteers  did  not  come  at  8  a.m.,  1  sot 
off  to  see  the  cause,  and  after  an  hour  of  perpetual  up  and  down 
march,  as  I  descended  the  steep  slope  which  overlooks  tb.e  first 
gardens,  I  saw  my  friends  start  up  at  the  apparition — they  were 
comfortably  cooking  porridge  for  themselves !     I  sent  men  of 


A    MODEL   TOWN   OF   AFRICA. 


445 


;^^ataka  back  with  food  to  the  stragglers  behind  and  came  into 
his  town." 

An  Arab,  Sef  Rupia,  or  Rubia,  head  of  a  large  body  of  slaves 
on  his  way  to  the  coast,  most  kindly  came  forward  and  presented 
the  doctor  with  an  ox,  a  bag  of  flour  and  some  cooked  meat,  an 
extremely  welcome  offering  indeed  ! 

Mataka's  town  was  found  to  consist  of  about  a  thousand 
houses,  and  around  it  clustered  many  small  villages.  All  about 
them  were  mountains,  clothed  in  lovely  green.  It  was  a  very 
beautiful  spot,  and  though  only  recently  selected  the  people  of 
this  chief  were  already  entirely  at  home.  It  must  be  under- 
stood that  towns  may  spring  up  in  a  night  almost  in  a  country 
where  all  the  structures  arc  so  simple  and  temporary;  an  entire 
tribe  may  settle  comfortably  with  almost  as  much  despatch  as 
an  army  can  pitch  its  tents.  The  famous  chieftain,  Mataka, 
kept  his  visitor  waiting  some  time  on  the  verandah  of  his  house, 
but  when  he  made  his  appearance  his  good-natured  face  was 
wreathed  in  smiles.  He  was  about  sixty,  dressed  as  an  Arab, 
and  too  good-humored  to  conceal  his  enjoyment  of  a  good  laugh ; 
and  it  was  not  long  before  he  had  the  weary  traveller  snugly 
set  up  in  a  square  house  like  his  own,  where  we  will  allow  him 
a  little  breathing  time. 


AXK,  etc 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

APPROACHING  NYA8SA. 

A  Guest  of  Mataka— The  Waiyau— Livingstone  and  the  Arabs— The  Town  of 
Moembe — Iron  Smelting — Causes  of  Desolation— Waiyau  Described— Living- 
stone's Desires — Slave-Trade:  Does  it  Pay?— Sepoys  sent  back — Mountains — 
Springs — Iron — Approaching  Nyassa— Livingstone's  Review  of  his  Route — 
The  Watershed — Geological  Formations — Kindness  of  the  People — The  Single 
Curse — An  Example  of  Christians — Inconvenience  of  being  English— Arabs 
as  Settlers — A  Doubtful  Question  Settled — Pota  Mimba — Around  the  Foot  of 
the  Lake— No  Earthquake  Known — Sites  of  Old  Villages— Brooks— The  First 
European  Seen — "  God  Took  Ilim  " — Wikatani  Finds  Relatives — Salt-Making 
— Eighty -five  Slaves  in  a  Pen- Work  Honorable. 

In  our  comfortable  homes,  surrounded  by  the  conveniences 
and  extravagances  afforded  by  culture  and  wealth,  the  prospect 
of  two  weeks'  recreation  in  an  African  village  where  no  white 
man  had  ever  been  before,  with  only  a  hut  of  wattle  and  daub 
to  shield  us  from  the  rays  of  a  tropical  sun  and  the  prying  gaze 
of  curious  barbarians,  only  the  rude  fare  of  people  who  followed 
the  simplest  suggestions  of  nature  in  their  culinary  art,  and  the 
society  of  the  most  untutored  heathen,  would  hardly  be  called 
delightful ;  but  after  the  weariness  and  anxiety  of  a  long  march 
across  a  thoroughly  desolate  country,  after  having  been  deprived 
of  every  comfort,  travelling  many  days  with  hardly  food  enough 
to  sustain  life,  Dr.  Livingstone  was  fully  prepared  to  appreciate 
the  kindness  of  Matiika  very  highly.  The  chief  proved  himself 
a  very  generous,  hospitable  man,  and  received  kindly  the  sug- 
gestions of  Dr.  Livingstone,  and  seemed  to  enjoy  exceedingly 
conversation  about  the  customs  and  improvements  of  the  coun- 
try of  the  white  man.  He  had  been  a  very  active  participant 
in  the  slave-trade,  and  winced  sometimes  under  the  arguments 
of  his  visitor,  which  seemed  to  convict  him  of  great  folly  and 
wrong  in  that  matter.  His  town  is  not  far  from  the  Nyassa 
country,  toward  which  Livingstone  was  journeying.  The 
Waiyau  have  been  pretty  generally  supplied  with  guns  and 
446 


LIVINGSTONE  AND  THE  ARABS.  447 

such  other  appliances  of  war  as  may  make  them  useful  allies  of 
the  Arab  traders.  The  plan  pursued  by  these  traders,  with 
considerable  success,  is  to  come  into  a  Waiyau  village,  show  the 
goods  they  have  brought,  are  treated  liberally  by  the  elders,  and 
told  to  wait  and  enjoy  themselves,  slaves  enough  to  purchase  all 
U-ill  be  procured  :  then  a  foray  is  made  against  the  Manganja, 
who  have  few  or  no  guns.  The  Waiyau  who  come  against 
th(!m  are  abundantly  su[)plied  with  both  by  their  coast  guests. 
Several  of  the  low-coast  Arabs,  who  diflbr  in  notliing  from  the 
Waiyau,  usually  accompany  the  foray,  and  do  business  on  their 
own  account:  Mataka  himself  said  that  he  was  growing 
tired  of  it  and  desired  to  settle  down  in  quiet.  It  was  not 
the  policy  of  Livingstone,  as  some  have  supposed,  to  put  him- 
self in  antagonism  with  the  traders  who  were  traversing  the 
country;  he  was  only  an  individual,  and  bent  immediately  on 
the  solution  of  problems  connected  with  the  great  water-courses 
of  the  country,  a  work  bearing,  indeed,  directly,  but  only  re- 
motely, on  the  condition  of  the  people  of  the  continent.  He  was, 
however,  a  Christian  man,  a  philanthropist,  a  missionary  at 
heart,  and  as  far  as  lay  in  his  power  sought  to  break  the -power 
of  the  evil  which  he  saw  extending  its  mighty  coils  all  over  the 
land.  The  Arabs  always  sought  to  avoid  him,  apprehending 
that  his  mission  was  to  break  up  their  trade.  He  had  no 
thought  of  doing  that,  except  so  far  as  it  might  be  diminished 
by  the  moral  influence  he  should  be  able  to  exert.  Arid  on  this 
journey,  as  on  those  through  the  more  southern  country,  the 
personal  power  of  the  man  was  shown,  as  much  as  in  anything 
else,  by  the  readiness  with  which  he  impressed  his  ideas  of  right 
on  the  minds  of  the  people  among  whom  he  appeared  as  an 
entire  stranger. 

Livingstone  was  particularly  favorably  impresvsed  with  the 
country  surrounding  Moembe,  as  INIataka's  town  was  called. 
Immense  tracts  of  this  country  lie  uninhabited,  the  scene  only 
of  the  undisturbed  revelry  of  wild  beasts.  To  the  northeast  of 
the  town  at  least  fifty  miles  of  splendid  land  lies  neglected — an 
unanswerable  protest  against  the  trade  which  has  carried  away 
its  once  thrifty  population  into  bondage.  This  vast  tract  pre- 
sents, as  Livingstone  assures  us,  unmistakable  evidences  of 
having  supported  in  other  times  a  prodigious  iron-smelting  and 


448  THE   WAIYAU   RACE. 

grain-growing  population.  Clay  pipes,  which  had  been  used  on 
the  nozzles  of  bellows  and  inserted  into  the  furnaces,  were  met 
with  everywhere :  these  were  often  vitrified.  Then  the  ridges 
on  which  maize,  beans,  cassava,  and  sorghum  had  been  planted, 
remained  unlevelled,  attesting  the  industry  of  the  former  inhab- 
itants. Pieces  of  broken  pots,  with  their  rims  ornamented  with 
very  good  imitations  of  basket  work,  attest  that  the  lady  pottei^ 
of  old  followed  here  the  example  given  them  by  their  still  more 
ancient  mothers.  The  desolation  of  this  splendid  region  could 
not  be  attributed  to  those  causes  which  had  operated  farther 
south.  The  ground  was  fertile,  and  there  were  any  number  of 
fresh,  cool  fountains.  It  is  a  vast  succession  of  hills  and  valleys, 
Avith  numerous  running  streams.  The  un-African  sound  of 
gushing  waters  dashing  over  the  rocks  was  sweet  music  in  his 
ears,  and  brought  back  freshly  to  his  mind  the  charming  scenes 
of  his  own  far-away  land.  He  mentions  counting  fifteen  run- 
ning buriis  of  from  one  to  ten  yards  wide  in  one  day's  march 
of  about  six  hours;  being  in  a  hilly  or  rather  mountainous 
region,  they  flow  rapidly  and  have  plenty  of  water-power.  In 
July  any  mere  torrent  ceases  to  flow,  but  these  were  brawling 
burns  with  water  too  cold  (61°)  for  people  to  bathe  in  whose 
pores  were  all  open  by  the  relaxing  regions  nearer  the  coast. 
This  district  is  very  elevated,  rising  thirty-four  hundred  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  atmosphere  is  moist,  and  the 
sky  is  generally  overcast  until  ten  o'clock  in  the  day. 

The  Waiyau  are  described  as  far  from  a  handsome  race,  but 
they  are  not  the  prognathous  beings  one  sees  on  the  west  coast 
either.  Their  heads  are  of  a  round  shape ;  compact  foreheads, 
but  not  particularly  receding ;  the  alcc  nasi  are  flattened  out ; 
lips  full,  and  with  the  women  a  small  lip-ring  just  turns  them 
up  to  give  additional  thickness.  Their  style  of  beauty  is  ex- 
actly that  which  was  in  fashion  when  the  stone  deities  were 
made  in  tiie  caves  of  Elephanta  and  Kenora  near  Bombay.  A 
favorite  mode  of  dressing  the  hair  into  little  knobs,  which  was 
in  fashion  there,  is  more  common  in  some  tribes  than  in  this. 
The  mouths  of  the  women  would  not  be  so  hideous  with  a  small 
lip-ring  if  they  did  not  file  their  teeth  to  points;  but  they  seem 
strong  and  able  for  the  work  which  falls  to  their  lot.  The  men 
are  large,  strong-boned  fellows,  and  capable  of  enduring  great 


THE   DESIRES   OF   HIS   HEART.  449 

fatigue.  They  undergo  a  rite  which  once  distinguished  the 
Jews  about  the  age  of  puberty,  and  take  a  new  name  on  the 
occasion.  This  was  not  introduced  by  the  Arabs,  whose  advent 
is  a  recent  event,  and  they  speak  of  the  time  before  they  were 
inundated  with  European  manufactures  in  exchange  for  slaves, 
as  quite  M'ithin  their  memory. 

Besides  their  liealthful  and  productive  locality,  they  are  in 
possession  of  cattle  in  considerable  numbers.  Those,  however, 
are  of  rather  a  small  breed,  black  and  white  in  patc^hes,  and 
brown,  with  humps,  but  they  give  milk  which  is  duly  prized. 
The  sheep  are  the  large-tailed  variety,  and  generally  of  a  black 
color.  Fowls  and  pigeons  are  the  only  other  domestic  animals, 
if  we  except  the  wretched  village  dogs,  which  the  doctor's 
poodle  had  immense  delight  in  chasing. 

The  heart  of  Dr.  Livingstone,  always  burning  with  desire  to 
see  Africa  open  to  the  light  of  the  gospel,  could  hardly  have 
failed  to  fix  on  such  a  spot :  he  saw  it  not  only  as  offering  in- 
ducements to  the  great  gain-loving  world,  but  as  proclaiming 
great  encouragement  to  those  who  were  Avaiting  for  a  footing  for 
their  missionary  enterprises  within  the  heart  of  the  continent. 
As  he  looked  on  the  fertile  gardens  and  enjoyed  the  plenty 
which  surrounded  him,  he  thought  of  the  abandoned  mission 
station  at  Magomero.  He  was  not  blind  to  the  difficulties  con- 
fronting and  besetting  the  missionary  continually.  He  did  not 
depreciate  the  losses  incurred — losses  of  money  and  precious 
lives  as  well — in  prosecuting  the  work  of  saving  the  heathen ; 
but  he  saw  everywhere  he  went  in  that  land  men  hazarding  as 
much  and  sacrificing  as  much  for  the  enslavement  of  the  people 
as  the  Christian  world  would  need  to  hazard  or  sacrifice  for 
their  conversion,  and  he  reasoned  well  and  rightly  when  he 
entered  in  his  journal — 

"  It  struck  me  after  Sef  had  numbered  up  the  losses  that  the 
Kilwa  people  sustained  by  death  in  their  endeavors  to  enslave 
people,  similar  losses  on  the  pai't  of  those  who  go  to  'proclaim 
liberty  to  the  captives,  the  opening  of  the  prison  to  them  that 
are  bound ' — to  save  and  elevate,  need  not  be  made  so  very 
much  of  as  they  sometimes  are," 

Livingstone  was  very  far  from  having  lost  his  interest  in  the 
missionary  work.     He  had,  indeed,  been  led  away  from  the 


450  MOUNTAINS   AND   STREAMS. 

more  legitimate  duties  of  a  Christian  teacher,  but  as  an  explorer 
he  was  animated  by  the  same  desire  to  glorify  God  and  do  good 
to  men  which  had  animated  him  when  he  left  his  native  land  in 
the  first  love  of  his  consecration.  And  to  the  last  he  seemed 
always  animated  by  the  desire  to  solve  the  mysteries  of  tiie  land 
only  that  he  might  the  more  successfully  carry  out  his  great 
scheme  of  establishing  a  strong  central  mission  in  the  heart  of 
the  country,  whence  the  influences  of  Christianity  might  more 
readily  penetrate  the  whole  land. 

So  much  trouble  had  been  experienced  with  the  Sepoys  that 
Livingstone  was  at  last  obliged  to  decide  against  attempting  to 
carry  them  fartlier.  They  had  sought  by  every  means  to  pro- 
duce disaffection  among  his  followers  and  even  to  excite  the 
natives  against  him.  So  having  arranged  for  them  to  return  to 
the  coast  Avith  a  respectable  trade,  he  parted  company  with  them 
at  Moembe,  leaving  them  a  few  days  in  the  care  of  Mataka. 

On  the  28tli  of  July  Mataka  came  with  a  good  lot  of  flour 
and  men  to  guide  the  party  to  the  lake ;  he  had  before  presented 
an  ox,  and  his  guests  were  thus  prepared  to  set  out  in  good 
spirits.  There  are  two  roads  from  his  town  to  the  lake — one  to 
Losewa,  which  is  west  of  this,  and  opposite  Kotakota ;  the 
other,  to  Makatu,  is  farther  south  :  the  first  is  five  days  through 
deserted  country  chiefly ;  but  the  other,  seven,  among  people  and 
plenty  of  provisions  all  the  way.  Mataka  told  Livingstone 
that  he  would  not  send  him  to  Losewa,  as  that  place  had  been 
recently  burned,  but  by  the  more  southern  route,  which,  though 
a  little  longer  road,  was  safer  and  better.  The  whole  country 
was  a  mass  of  mountains,  and  on  leaving  Moembe  the  party 
ascended  considerably,  and  toward  evening  of  the  first  day's 
march  the  barometer  showed  the  greatest  altitude  about  thirty- 
four  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  Everywhere  in 
these  mountains  there  were  villages;  generally  these  villages 
boasted  about  one  hundred  houses.  Numerous  springs — about 
which  unmistakable  indications  of  iron  appeared  —  afforded 
abundance  of  water.  Beautiful  green  grass  was  waving  every- 
wlun-e,  and  flowers  of  various  bright  hues. 

The  temperature  on  these  mountains  was  much  lower  than 
some  may  dream  of  in  such  a  latitude ;  on  the  29th  of  July, 
about  the  summit  of  the  range,  it  was  in  the  morning  55°  only. 


LIVINGSTONES   REVIEW.  451 

The  trees  were  rather  small  and  became  scantier  as  they  descended 
toward  the  lake,  but  the  ferns,  rhododendrons  and  a  foliage  tree 
greatly  resembling  silver  fir  were  frequently  seen. 

Every  day  they  came  near  slave  parties,  but  the  Arabs  always 
avoided  the  Englishman.  The  country  though  was  becoming 
more  familiar-looking  as  they  came  nearer  the  Nyassa,  and  Liv- 
ingstone welcomed  the  appearance  of  the  familiar  grasses  and 
the  singing  birds  which  now  began  to  add  their  charms  to  their 
camping  grounds. 

Under  date  of  the  8tli  of  August,  a  little  more  than  four 
months  from  the  time  of  his  entering  the  country,  in  his  jour- 
nal we  read  :  "  We  came  to  the  lake  at  the  confluence  of 
the  Misinje,  and  felt  grateful  to  that  Hand  which  had  pro- 
tected us  thus  far  on  our  journey.  It  was  as  if  I  had  come  back 
to  an  old  home  I  never  expected  again  to  see."  Glancing 
over  the  district  across  which  we  have  followed  the  traveller 
back  to  the  lake  on  whose  waters  we  remember  that  he  launched 
his  little  boats  some  years  ago,  it  will  certainly  be  profitable  for 
us  to  have  his  own  language  about  its  geological  features ;  con- 
cerning these  he  says :  "  The  plateaux  on  each  side  of  the  Ro- 
vuma  are  masses  of  gray  sandstone,  capped  with  masses  of  ferru- 
ginous conglomerate ;  apparently  an  aqueous  deposit.  When  we 
ascend  the  Rovuma  about  sixty  miles,  a  great  many  pieces  and 
blocks  of  siiicified  wood  appear  on  the  surface  of  the  soil  at  the 
bottom  of  the  slope  up  the  plateaux.  This  in  Africa  is  a  sure 
indication  of  the  presence  of  coal  beneath,  but  it  was  not  observed 
cropping  out ;  the  plateaux  are  cut  up  in  various  directions  by 
wadys  well  supplied  with  grass  and  trees  on  deep  and  somewhat 
sandy  soil ;  but  at  the  confluence  of  the  Loendi  highlands  they 
appear  in  the  far  distance.  In  the  sands  of  the  Loendi  pieces 
of  coal  are  quite  common. 

"  Before  reaching  the  confluence  of  the  Rovuma  and  Loendi, 
or  say  about  ninety  miles  from  the  sea,  the  plj^teau  is  succeeded 
by  a  more  level  country,  having  detached  granitic  masses  shoot- 
ing up  some  five  or  seven  hundred  feet.  The  sandstone  of  the 
plateau  has  at  first  been  hardened,  then  quite  metamorphosed 
into  a  chocolate-colored  schist.  As  at  Chilolc  hill,  we  have 
igneous  rocks,  apparently  trap,  capped  with  masses  of  beautiful 
white  dolomite.  We  still  asoeud  in  altitude  as  we  go  westwards, 
23 


452  GEOLOGICAL   FORMATIONS. 

and  come  upon  long  tracts  of  gneiss  with  hornblende.  The 
gneiss  is  often  striated,  all  the  striae  looking  one  way — sometimes 
north  and  south,  and  at  other  times  east  and  west.  These  rocks 
look  as  if  a  stratified  rock  had  been  nearly  melted,  and  the  strata 
fused  together  by  the  heat.  From  these  striated  rocks  have 
shot  up  great  rounded  masses  of  granite  or  syenite,  whose  smooth 
sides  and  crowns  contain  scarcely  any  trees,  and  are  probably 
from  three  to  four  thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  The  elevated 
plains  among  these  mountain  masses  siiow  great  patches  of  fer- 
ruginous conglomerate,  which,  when  broken,  look  like  yellow 
hiematite  with  madrepore  holes  in  it :  this  has  made  the  soil 
of  a  red  color. 

"  On  the  watershed  we  have  still  the  rounded  granitic  hills 
jutting  above  the  plains  (if  such  they  may  be  called),  which  are 
all  ups  and  downs,  and  furrowed  with  innumerable  running 
rills,  the  sources  of  the  Rovuma  and  Loendi.  The  highest  rock 
observed  with  mica  schist  was  at  an  altitude  of  three  thousand 
four  hundred  and  forty  feet.  The  same  uneven  country  prevails 
as  we  proceed  from  the  watershed  about  forty  miles  down  to  the 
lake,  and  a  great  deal  of  quartz  in  small  fragments  renders 
travelling  very  difficult.  Near  the  lake,  and  along  its  eastern 
shore,  we  have  mica  schist  and  gneiss  foliated,  with  a  great  deal 
of  hornblende ;  but  the  most  remarkable  feature  of  it  is  that  the 
rocks  are  all  tilted  on  edge,  or  slightly  inclined  to  the  lake. 
The  active  agent  in  effecting  this  is  not  visible.  It  looks  as  if 
a  sudden  rent  had  been  made,  so  as  to  form  the  lake,  and  tilt  all 
these  rocks  nearly  over.  On  the  east  side  of  the  lower  part  of 
the  lake  we  have  two  ranges  of  mountains,  evidently  granitic : 
the  nearer  one  covered  with  small  trees  and  lower  than  the  other ; 
the  other  jagged  and  bare,  or  of  the  granitic  forms.  But  in  all 
this  country  no  fossil-yielding  rock  was  visible  except  the  gray 
sandstone  referred  to  at  the  beginning  of  this  note.  The  rocks 
are  chiefly  the  old  crystalline  forms." 

The  soil  of  the  district  is  good,  and  water  generally  abunaant. 
Neither  had  he  suffered  particularly  in  health.  If  he  had  been 
escorted  by  his  Makololo  the  whole  journey  would  have  been  a 
joyous  march.  The  people  of  Makonde,  IMakoa  and  "NVaiyau 
had  all  been  generous  and  kind  ;  the  chiefs  had  readily  rendered 
him  all  needed  assistance,  and  seemed  to  appreciate  the  lessons 


WHICH   IS   MORE   INSPIRING?  453 

of  nobler  manhood  he  had  sought  to  impress  on  them.  Over 
all  the  district  one  ])articular  cnrse  had  settled  and  was  restinjg 
with  most  blighting  influence.  The  people  were  rude  barbarians, 
of  course,  but  were  teachable  and  kind.  But  no  established 
creed  or  dominant  superstition  occupied  the  ground  to  withstand 
the  ingress  of  Christianity;  no  popular  prejudices  stood  armed 
guarding  the  coast  against  the  purer  customs  of  civilization. 
Only  the  slave-trade,  encouraged  by  foreigners,  watched  with 
jealous  eye  every  approach  of  the  purer  light  and  ennobling  in- 
fluences of  a  Christian  civilization  to  the  villages  and  homes  of 
the  unfortunate  people  on  whose  ignorance  it  paid  them  to 
impose,  and  whose  deepest  degradation  was  the  surest  source  of 
their  unholy  gains.  Relieved  of  this  one  evil  and  the  whole 
region  over  which  he  had  passed  might  be  esteemed  as  a  goodly 
land,  where  Christian  laborers  might  live  peacefully  and  health- 
fully. And  as  for  the  difficulty  of  access  and  the  transportation 
of  supplies — Arabs  are  not  discouraged  by  these  difficulties  from 
pressing  their  trade,  which  is  only  for  gain,  and  surely  it  is 
worth  as  much  to  the  Christian  world  to  accomplish  the  re- 
demption of  these  poor  people.  The  journey  to  the  lake  had 
been  enlivened  by  very  little  of  incident.  Yery  few  animals 
had  been  seen,  except  such  harmless  ones  as  excited  not  even 
a  passing  notice.  But  the  feat  was  performed  :  the  old  purpose 
of  Livingstone  to  settle  the  question  about  the  country  between 
the  mouth  of  the  Rovuma  and  the  Lake  Nyassa ;  and  he  was 
once  more  enjoying  the  roar  of  its  waves  and  luxurious  baths 
in  its  delightful  waters,  and  rejoicing  in  its  exhilarating  atmos- 
phere. The  head  man  of  the  village,  Mokalaose,  was  a  real 
Manganja,  and  he  and  all  his  people  exhibited  greater  darkness 
of  color  consequent  on  being  in  a  warmer,  moist  climate.  He 
was  very  friendly  and  presented  millet  porridge,  cassava  and 
hippopotamus  meat,  and  asked  if  Livingstone  liked  milk,  as  he 
had  some  of  Mataka's  cattle.  His  people  brought  a  lake  fish, 
called  sanjika,  the  best  that  is  caught,  for  sale.  Livingstone 
purchased  fifty  of  these  for  a  fathom  of  calico,  and  thought  that 
they  had  very  much  the  taste  of  herrings. 

The  reader  may  remember  that  in  his  Zambesi  expedition 
when  ascending  this  lake  Livingstone  obtained  knowledge  of  an 
Arab  settlement  on  the  western  shore  of  the  lake,  the  chief  man 


454  INCONVENIENCE   OF   BEING   ENGLISH. 

of  which  was  named  Jumbc.  He  now  desired  to  secure  a  pas- 
sage across  the  lake,  and  knowing  Juinbe  to  be  in  possession  of 
several  dhows,  despatched  messengers  to  him  bearing  the  letter 
of  Seyed  Majid — received  at  Zanzibar — while  he  busied  himself 
with  his  journal  and  observations. 

All  of  his  attempts,  however,  to  secure  transportation  failed, 
and  he  was  under  the  necessity  of  making  the  circuit  of  the 
southern  end  of  the  lake.  And  naturally  enough  he  felt  for 
once  that  it  was  rather  inconvenient  to  have  the  Arabs,  even  the 
slaves,  hold  the  English  name  in  such  dread.  The  fear  which 
the  English  opposition  had  inspired  these  traders  with  caused 
them  to  run  away  from  Livingstone  on  all  occasions.  This  not 
only  deprived  him  of  the  relief  which  even  the  face  of  an  Arab 
might  sometimes  have  contributed,  but  greatly  increased  the 
difficulty  of  sending  letters  to  the  coast.  Jumbe  has  made  him- 
self particularly  notorious  in  connection  with  the  slave-trade., 
and  Livingstone  apprehended  Mokalaose's  fears  of  the  Waiyaui 
would  make  him  welcome  Jumbe  at  his  town,  and  then  the  Arab 
would  some  day  have  an  opportunity  of  scattering  his  people  as 
he  has  done  those  at  Kotakota.  He  has  made  Losewa  too  hot 
for  himself.  When  the  people  there  were  carried  off  by  Mataka's 
people,  Jumbe  seized  their  stores  of  grain,  and  now  has  no  post 
to  which  he  can  go  there.  The  Loangwa  Arabs  give  an  awful 
account  of  Jumbe's  murders  and  selling  the  people,  but  one  can- 
not take  it  all  in  ;  at  the  mildest  it  must  have  been  bad.  This 
is  all  they  ever  do ;  they  cannot  form  a  state  or  independent 
kingdom  :  slavery  and  the  slave-trade  are  insuperable  obstacles 
to  any  permanence  inland;  slaves  can  escape  so  easily;  all  there- 
fore that  the  Arabs  do  is  to  collect  as  much  money  as  they  can 
by  hook  and  by  crook,  and  then  leave  the  country. 

And  kind  Mokalaose's  troubles  are  not  all  in  apprehension  of 
the  Arabs ;  he  boasted  a  large  family,  numerous  wives  and  ap- 
j)endages,  and  how  could  he  escape  trouble  ?  He  loved  to  pour 
these  afflictions  into  the  ear  of  the  sympathizing  white  man ; 
among  these  he  was  particularly  distressed  about  one  of  his 
wives  who  had  taken  French  leave  of  him.  It  was  no  use  to 
criticise  the  too-many-wives  custom  of  these  chiefs :  they  invariably 
fell  back  into  the  stronghold  of  African  logic  on  that  question, 
which  is  summed  up  in  a  few  words:  ^' Who  would  cook  for 


POTA   MIMBA.  455 

strangers  if  I  had  but  one  ?  "  This  was  a  poser,  especially  see- 
ing the  antagonist  was  a  guest  himself.  Mokalaose  was  quite  a 
gentleman  in  his  way,  and  was  proud  to  display  his  hospitality 
after  a  fashion  more  familiar  in  our  country  than  some  others. 
One  day  he  invited  Dr.  Livingstone  into  his  house  and  presented 
some  beer ;  "  I  drank  a  little,"  says  the  doctor,  "  but  seeing  mo 
desist  from  taking  more,  he  asked  me  if  I  wished  a  servant  girl 
to  ^ pota  mimba; '  not  knowing  what  was  meant,  I  offered  the 
girl  the  calabash  of  beer  and  told  her  to  drink,  but  this  was  not 
the  intention.  He  asked  if  I  did  not  wish  more,  and  then  took 
the  vessel,  and  as  he  drank  the  girl  performed  the  operation  on 
himself.  Placing  herself  in  front,  she  put  both  hands  round 
his  waist  below  the  short  ribs,  and  pressing  gradually  drew  them 
round  his  belly  in  front.  He  took  several  prolonged  draughts, 
and  at  each  she  repeated  the  operation  as  if  to  make  the  liquor 
go  equally  over  the  stomach."  *  It  is  possible  that  some  of  the 
lordly  topers  of  this  land  may  feel  greatly  disturbed  that  it  should 
have  been  left  for  an  African  head  man  to  discover  this  very 
original  method  of  increasing  his  capacity — or  possibly  no  such 
need  is  felt  by  our  topers. 

Many  matters  are  mentioned  in  Dr.  Livingstone's  journal 
from  this  point  around  the  extremity  of  the  lake,  which  would 
be  of  no  special  interest  woven  into  a  narrative  of  travel,  but 
which  should  not  be  omitted  in  justice  to  the  man  who  was 
toiling  more  in  the  interest  of  positive  knowledge  than  for  the 
entertainment  of  himself  or  others ;  and  it  seems  well  that  we 
give  the  reader  such  extracts  from  his  journal  here  as  may  be 
most  serviceable  to  us  in  forming  a  distinct  idea  of  the  region, 
which  is  really  one  of  real  importance. 

^^  September  5. — Our  march  is  along  the  shore  to  Ngombo 
promontory,  which  approaches  so  near  to  Senga  or  Tsenga 
opposite,  as  to  narrow  the  lake  to  some  sixteen  or  eighteen 
miles.  It  is  a  low  sandy  point,  the  edge  fringed  on  the  north- 
west and  part  of  the  south  with  a  belt  of  papyrus  and  reeds ; 
the  central  parts  wooded.  Part  of  the  south  side  has  high 
sandy  dunes,  blown  up  by  the  south  wind,  which  strikes  it  at 
right  angles  there.  One  was  blowing  as  we  marched  along 
the  southern  side  eastward,  and  was  very  tiresome.  We 
reached  Panthunda's  village  by  a  brook  called  Lilole.    Another 


456  SITES   OF   OLD    VILLAGES. 

we  crossed  before  coming  to  it  is  named  Libesa :  these  brooks 
form  the  favorite  spawning-grounds  of  the  sanjika  and  mpasa, 
two  of  the  best  fishes  of  the  lake.  The  sanjika  is  very  like 
our  herring  in  shape  and  taste  and  size ;  the  mpasa  larger  every 
way :  both  live  on  green  herbage  formed  at  the  bottom  of  the 
lake  and  rivers. 

'' September  7. — Chirumba's  village  being  on  the  south  side 
of  a  long  lagoon,  we  preferred  sleeping  on  the  mainland,  though 
they  offered  their  cranky  canoes  to  ferry  us  over.  This  lagoon 
is  called  Pansangvva. 

"September  8. — In  coming  along  the  southern  side  of  Ngombo 
promontory  we  look  eastwards,  but  when  we  leave  it  we  turn 
southwards,  having  a  double  range  of  lofty  mountains  on  our 
left.  These  are  granitic  in  form,  the  nearer  range  being  gener- 
ally the  lowest,  and  covered  with  scraggy  trees ;  the  second,  or 
more  easterly,  is  some  six  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  bare  and 
rugged,  with  jagged  peaks  shooting  high  into  the  air.  This  is 
probably  the  newest  range.  The  oldest  peo])le  have  felt  no 
earthquake,  but  some  say  that  they  have  heard  of  such  things 
from  their  elders. 

"We  passed  very  many  sites  of  old  villages,  which  are  easily 
known  by  the  tree  euphorbia  planted  round  an  umbelliferous 
one,  and  the  sacred  fig.  One  species  here  throws  out  strong 
buttresses  in  the  manner  of  some  mangroves  instead  of  sending 
down  twiners  which  take  root,  as  is  usually  the  case  with  the 
tropical  fig.  These,  with  millstones — stones  for  holding  the 
pots  in  cooking — and  upraised  clay  benches,  which  have  been 
turned  into  brick  by  fire  in  the  destruction  of  the  huts,  show 
what  were  once  the  '  pleasant  haunts  of  men.' 

'^September  10. — In  marching  southwards  we  came  close  to 
the  range  (the  lake  lies  immediately  on  the  other  side  of  it), 
but  we  could  not  note  the  bays  which  it  forms ;  we  crossed  two 
mountain  torrents  from  sixty  to  eighty  yards  broad,  and  now 
only  ankle-deep.  In  flood  these  bring  down  enormous  trees, 
which  are  much  battered  and  bruised  among  the  rocks  in  their 
course  ;  they  spread  over  the  plain,  too,  and  would  render  travel- 
ling here  in  the  rains  impracticable.  After  sj)ending  the  night 
at  a  very  civil  head  man's  chefu,  we  crossed  the  Lotendc,  an- 
other  of  these   torrents :    each  very  lofty  mass   in  the  range 


TWENTY-FOUR  BROOKS.  457 

seemed  to  give  rise  to  one.  Nothing  of  interest  occurred  as  we 
trudged  along.  A  very  poor  head  man,  Pamawawa,  presented 
a  roll  of  salt  instead  of  food :  this  was  grateful  to  us,  as  we 
have  been  without  that  luxury  some  "time. 

"September  13. — We  crossed  a  strong  brook  called  Nkore. 
My  object  in  mentioning  the  brooks  which  were  flowing  at 
this  time,  and  near  the  end  of  the  dry  season,  is  to  give  an 
idea  of  the  sources  of  supply  of  evaporation.  The  men  enu- 
merate the  following,  north  of  the  Misinje.  Those  which  are 
greater  are  marked  thus  -f-,  and  the  lesser  ones  — . 


1. 

Misinje  +  has  canoes. 

2. 

Loangwa  — 

3. 

Lesefa  — 

4. 

Lelula  — 

6. 

Ncharaanje  — 

6. 

Musuraba  + 

7. 

Fubwe  -f- 

8. 

Chia  — 

9. 

Kisanga  + 

10. 

Bweka  — 

11. 

Chifuraero  -f  has  canoes. 

12. 

Loangwa  — 

13. 

Mkoho  — 

14. 

Mangwclo  —  at  N. 

end  of  lake. 

"Including  the  above  there  are  twenty  or  twenty-four  [Deren- 
nial  brooks  and  torrents  which  give  a  good  supply  of  water  in 
the  dry  season ;  in  the  wet  season  they  are  supplemented  by  a 
number  of  burns,  which,  though  flowing  now,  have  their  mouths 
blocked  up  with  bars  of  sand,  and  yield  nothing  except  by  per- 
colation ;  the  lake  rises  at  least  four  feet  perpendicularly  in  the 
wet  season,  and  has  enough  during  the  year  from  these  peren- 
nial brooks  to  supply  the  Shire's  continual  flow." 

[It  will  be  remembered  that  the  beautiful  river  Shire  carries 
off  the  waters  of  Lake  Nyassa  and  joins  the  Zambesi  near 
Mount  Morambala,  about  ninety  miles  from  the  sea.  It  is  by 
this  water-way  that  Ijivingstone  always  hoped  to  find  an  easy 
access  to  Central  Africa.    We  will  not  forget  the  obstacles  which 


458  PAINFUL   REFLECTIONS. 

forced  him  to  seek  another  path.  He  could  not  suppress  his 
sorrow  when  he  h)oked  away  toward  the  region  watered  by  that 
river  and  thought  on  tlie  disappointments  experienced  there. 
Many  hopes  had  been  wrecked  there.  It  was  an  inexpressible 
feeling  of  loneliness  came  over  him  when  he  thought  on  the 
grave  of  her  whose  death  had  changed  all  his  prospects — far 
away  down  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river  under  the  shadow  of 
the  great  baobab  tree ;  and  the  bitter  regret  with  which  he  re- 
called the  easy  death  of  the  noble  Bishop  Mackenzie,  and  the 
abandonment  of  the  mission  enterprise.  It  does  seem  sad  that 
he  should  have  been  called  away  just  when  his  arduous  toils 
were  on  the  eve  of  their  best  fruits ;  how  gladly  would  he  wel- 
come if  he  was  alive  now  the  news  that  arrangements  are  defi- 
nitely made  for  planting  strong  and  permanent  missions  along 
the  Shire!] 

^^  September  15. — We  were  now  a  short  distance  south  of  the 
lake,  and  might  have  gone  west  to  Mosauka's  (called  by  some 
Pasauka's)  to  cross  the  Shire  there,  but  I  thought  that  my  visit 
to  Mukate's,  a  Waiyau  chief  still  farther  south,  might  do  good. 
He,  Mponda,  and  Kabinga,  are  the  only  three  chiefs  who  still 
carry  on  raids  against  the  Manganja  at  the  instigation  of  the 
coast  Arabs,  and  they  are  now  sending  periodical  marauding 
parties  to  the  Maravi  (here  named  Malola)  to  supply  the  Kilwa 
slave-traders.  We  marched  three  hours  southwards,  then  up 
the  hills  of  the  range  which  flanks  all  the  lower  part  of  the  lake. 
The  altitude  of  the  town  is  about  eight  hundred  feet  above  the 
lake.  The  population  near  the  chief  is  large,  and  all  the  heights 
as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach  are  crowned  with  villages.  The 
second  range  lies  a  few  miles  off,  and  is  covered  with  trees  as 
well  as  the  first ;  the  nearest  high  mass  is  Mangoche.  The  people 
live  amidst  plenty.  *  All  the  chiefs  visited  by  the  Arabs  have 
good  substantial  square  houses  built  for  their  accommodation. 
Mukate  never  saw  a  European  before,  and  everything  about  us 
is  an  immense  curiosity  to  him  and  to  his  j:)eople.  We  had  long 
visits  from  him.  He  tries  to  extract  a  laugh  out  of  every  re- 
mark. He  is  darker  than  the  generality  of  Waiyau,  with 
a  full  board  trained  on  the  chin — as  all  the  people  here- 
abouts have — Arab  fashion.  The  courts  of  his  women  cover 
a  large  space,  our  house  being  on  one  side  of  them,     I   tried 


"god  took  him."  459 

to  go  out  that  way,  but  wandered,  so  the  ladies  sent  a  ser- 
vant to  conduct  me  out  in  the  direction  I  wished  to  go,  and 
we  found  egress  by  passing  through  some  huts  with  two  doors 
in  thcra. 

"September  17. — AVc  marched  down  from  IMuUate's  and  to 
about  the  middle  of  the  Lakelet  Pamalombe,  Mukate  had  no 
people  with  canoes  near  the  usual  crossing  place,  and  he  sent  a 
messenger  to  see  that  we  were  fairly  served.  Here  we  got  the 
Manganja  head  men  to  confess  that  an  earthquake  had  happened ; 
all  the  others  we  have  inquired  of  have  denied  it ;  why,  I  cannot 
conceive.  The  old  men  said  that  they  had  felt  earthquakes 
twice,  once  near  sunset  and  the  next  time  at  night — thoy  shook 
everything,  and  were  accompanied  with  noise,  and  all  the  fowls 
cackled  ;  there  was  no  effect  on  the  lake  observed.  They  profess 
ignorance  of  any  tradition  of  the  water  having  stood  higher. 
Their  traditions  say  that  they  came  originally  from  the  west,  or 
west-northwest,  which  they  call  '  Maravi ; '  and  that  their  fore- 
fathers taught  them  to  make  nets  and  kill  fish.  They  have  no 
trace  of  any  teaching  by  a  higher  instructor;  no  carvings  or 
writings  on  the  rocks ;  and  they  never  heard  of  a  book  until  we 
came  among  them.  Their  forefathers  never  told  them  that  after 
or  at  death  they  went  to  God,  but  they  had  heard  it  said  of  such 
a  one  who  died,  *  God  took  him.' " 

From  the  village  of  Mukate  Livingstone  was  provided  with 
a  number  of  canoes  in  which  he  and  his  company  passed  up  to 
the  point  of  junction  between  the  Lakelet  Pamalombe  and  Lake 
Nyassa ;  but  the  people  were  very  timid,  and  he  was  under  the 
necessity  of  going  on  to  Mponda's,  which  lies  just  south  of 
Nyassa. 

lu  coming  from  the  coast  to  the  lake  Livingstone  had  con- 
siderable trouble  in  conversing  with  the  natives.  All  along 
that  route  the  Waiyau  language  prevails — a  language  confes- 
sedly hard  to  master.  It  was  a  great  relief  among  the  tribes 
about  this  lake  to  observe  a  striking  similarity  of  the  language 
to  that  in  use  along  the  Zambesi  and  the  Shire.  They  were 
again  surrounded  by  those  ferocious  beasts  which  are  so  inti- 
mately associated  with  African  travel  in  the  mind  of  almost 
every  reader.  The  first  day  of  their  stay  at  Mponda's  town  a 
woman  was  carried  off  by  a  lion,  and  almost  entirely  eaten 


460  WIKATANI   FINDS   RELATIVES. 

before  being  discovered.  The  fatigues  of  travel  were  affecting 
very  seriously  the  dispositions  of  his  followers ;  they  were  be- 
coming more  and  more  dissatisfied,  and  harassing  the  doctor 
sadly  enough.  Before  reaching  Mponda's  village  he  had  lost 
one  of  the  company  whom  he  esteemed  very  highly.  Wika- 
tani  had  been  a  favorite  with  Bishop  Mackenzie;  he  had 
been  liberated  from  bondage  into  which  his  friends  had 
sold  him ;  he  found  some  relatives  in  the  neighborhood. 
Concerning  the  incident  Dr.  Livingstone  wrote  about  that  time 
as  follows : 

"  He  met  with  a  brother,  and  found  that  he  had  two  brothers 
and  one  or  two  sisters  living  down  at  the  western  shore  of  Lake 
Pamelombe  under  Kabinga.  He  thought  that  his  relatives 
Avould  not  again  sell  him.  I  had  asked  him  if  he  wished  to  re- 
main, and  he  at  once  said  *  Yes,'  so  I  did  not  attempt  to  dissuade 
him :  his  excessive  levity  will  perhaps  be  cooled  by  marriage. 
I  think  he  may  do  good  by  telling  some  of  what  he  has  seen 
and  heard.  I  asked  him  if  he  would  obey  an  order  from  his 
chief  to  hunt  the  Manganja,  and  he  said,  *  No.'  I  hope  he 
won't.  In  the  event  of  any  mission  coming  into  the  country 
of  Mataka,  he  will  go  there.  I  gave  him  paper  to  write  to  you, 
and,  commending  him  to  the  chiefs,  bade  the  poor  boy  farewell. 
I  was  sorry  to  part  with  him,  but  the  Arabs  tell  the  Waiyau 
chiefs  that  our  object  in  liberating  slaves  is  to  make  them  our 
own  and  turn  them  to  our  religion.  I  had  declared  to  them, 
through  Wikatani  as  interpreter,  that  they  never  became  our 
slaves,  and  were  at  liberty  to  go  back  to  their  relatives  if  they 
liked ;  and  now  it  was  impossible  to  object  to  AVikatani  going 
without  stultifying  my  own  statements." 

Before  reaching  Mponda's  Dr.  Livingstone  mentions  having 
seen  several  hundred  |)eople  making  salt  on  a  plain  impregnated 
with  it.  They  elixate  the  soil  and  filter  it  through  a  bunch  of 
grass  in  a  hole  in  the  bottom  of  the  pot  until  all  is  evaporated. 
Speaking  of  the  country  Livingstone  says  : 

"  We  held  along  the  plain  till  we  came  to  Mponda's,  a  large 
village,  with  a  stream  running  past.  The  plain  at  the  village 
is  very  fertile,  and  has  many  large  trees  on  it.  The  cattle  of 
Mponda  are  like  fatted  Madagascar  beasts,  and  the  hump  seems 
as  if  it  would  weigh  one  hundred  pounds.     The  size  of  body  is 


EIGHTY-FIVE  SLAVES   IN   A   PEN.  461 

SO  enormous  that  their  legs,  as  remarked  by  our  men,  seemed 
very  small.  Mponda  is  a  blustering  sort  of  person,  but  im- 
mensely inter&sted  in  everything  European.  He  says  that  he 
would  like  to  go  with  me.  '  Would  not  care  though  he  were 
away  ten  years.'  I  say  that  he  may  die  in  the  journey.  '  He 
will  die  here  as  well  as  there,  but  he  will  see  all  the  won- 
derful doings  of  our  country.'  He  knew  me,  having  come 
to  the  boat,  to  take  a  look  incognito  when  we  were  here  for- 
merly." 

In  this  town  Livingstone  found  an  Arab  slave-party,  and 
went  to  look  at  the  slaves ;  seeing  this,  Mponda  was  alarmed 
lest  he  should  proceed  to  violence  in  his  town,  but  he  said  to 
him  that  he  went  to  look  only.  Eighty-five  slaves  were  in  a 
pen  formed  of  dura  stalks  [Holcus  sorghum).  The  majority 
were  boys  of  about  eight  or  ten  years  of  age ;  others  were  grown 
men  and  women.  Nearly  all  were  in  the  taming-stick ;  a  few 
of  the  younger  ones  were  in  thongs,  the  thong  passing  round  the 
neck  of  each.  Several  pots  were  on  the  fires  cooking  dura  and 
beans.  A  crowd  went  with  him,  expecting  a  scene,  but  Living- 
stone sat  down,  and  asked  a  few  questions  about  the  journey,  in 
front.  The  slave-party  consisted  of  five  or  six  half-caste  coast 
Arabs,  who  said  that  they  came  from  Zanzibar ;  but  the  crowd 
made  such  a  noise  that  nothing  could  be  heard.  Livingstone 
asked  if  they  had  any  objections  to  his  looking  at  the  slaves ; 
the  owners  pointed  out  the  different  slaves,  and  said  that  after 
feeding  them,  and  accounting  for  the  losses  in  the  way  to  the 
coast,  they  made  little  by  the  trip.  "I  suspect,"  says  the 
doctor,  "  that  the  gain  is  made  by  those  who  ship  them  to  the 
ports  of  Arabia,  for  at  Zanzibar  most  of  the  younger  slaves  we 
saw  went  at  about  seven  dollars  a  head.  I  said  to  them  it  was 
a  bad  business  altogether.  They  presented  fowls  to  me  in  the 
evening." 

The  next  day  the  chief  begged  so  hard  that  the  doctor  would 
stay  another  day  and  give  medicine  to  a  sick  child  that  he  con- 
sented. He  promised  plenty  of  food,  and,  as  an  earnest  of  his 
sincerity,  sent  an  immense  pot  of  beer  in  the  evening.  The 
child  had  been  benefited  by  the  medicine,  and  in  his  gratitude 
the  poor  man  gave  more  than  could  be  taken. 

One  very  pleasant  feature  of  this  country  was  the  interest 


462 


WORK   ACCOUNTED   HONORABLE. 


which  all  classes  took  in  agricultural  work.  It  did  not  seem  to 
be  held  to  be  a  servile  work  as  in  many  other  parts  of  the  coun- 
try. While  the  slaves  do  the  greater  part  of  the  work,  the 
highest  classes  consider  it  very  honorable  to  be  so  employed. 
The  Manganja  once  had  great  quantities  of  first-class  cattle,' but 
the  Waiyau  had  taken  possession  of  them. 


ADZE,  etc 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

ABOUT  NYASSA. 

Geological  Notes — The  Jfarenga — Livingstone  Preaching — Small-Pox — Inveter* 
ute  Thieves — Kirk's  Range — Love  Token — Black-haired  Sheep — Earthquakes 
— A  Toper  Chief— A  Koyal  Escort — Whooping-Cough — The  Hottest  Month — 
Methods  of  Fertilization— No  Animals — Bows  and  Arrows — Lip-Ring— A  Pro- 
phetic Cow  —  Iron  Works — Village  of  Smiths — Alarm  of  Mazitu  —  Native 
Furnaces — Livingstone's  Patience — A  Disagreeable  Head  Man — Level  Country 
— Portuguese  Travellers  —  A  Herd  of  Buffaloes  —  Industry — Wild  Figs— A 
Formidable  Stockade — Trying  News — A  Steady  Faith. 

On  the  21st  of  September,  1866,  Livingstone  marched  to- 
wards the  west,  crossing  Cape  Maclear.  They  crossed  hills 
about  seven  hundred  feet  above  Nyassa ;  these  were  covered  with 
trees  and  quite  desolate — no  inhabitants  to  be  seen.  They  en- 
camped near  the  Sikoche.  Here  the  rocks  were  hardened  sand- 
stone, resting  on  mica-schist,  which  had  an  efflorescence  of  alum 
on  it;  above  this  was  dolomite;  the  hills  were  often  capped  with 
it  and  oak-spar,  giving  a  snowy  appearance.  After  seven  hours 
of  hard  travel  they  arrived  at  a  village  where  they  spent  the 
Sabbath  by  the  Usangasi,  and  near  a  remarkable  mountain, 
Namasi.  This  tribe,  or  ratlier  the  ]\Iachinga,  now  supersede 
the  Manganja.  He  speaks  of  a  marked  difference  in  the  villages 
of  the  latter  and  the  Waiyau,  who  have  handsome  straw  and 
reed  fences  around  their  huts,  making  their  villages  look  much 
neater.  They  next  stopped  at  a  village  of  Marenga,  quite  a 
large  one,  at  the  bottom  of  the  lake  on  the  eastern  side.  Find- 
ing the  chief  quite  ill  and  having  a  loathsome  disease  it  was 
impossible  for  him  to  come  to  Livingstone.  Many  of  the  people 
had  gone  to  the  coast  as  traders,  and  returning  with  arras  and 
ammunition  helped  the  Waiyau  in  their  forays  on  the  INIanganja, 
and  finally  set  themselves  up  as  an  independent  tribe.  They 
cultivate  largely,  and  have  cattle,  but  do  not  milk  them.  The 
sponges  here,  which  are  formed  by  the  vegetation,  "  which  is  not 
healthy  and  falls  aud  rots  and  then  forms  thick  loam  of  a  blackish 

463 


464  SMALL-POX   SEEN. 

nature,  is  in  masses  two  or  three  feet,  rests  on  a  bed  of  pure 
river  sand.  In  the  dry  season  this  loam  is  cracked,  and  fre- 
quently in  as  much  as  three  inches  in  width  and  very  deep. 
The  whole  surface  is  now  fallen  down  and  rests  on  the  sand, 
but  when  the  rain  comes  the  first  supply  is  nearly  all  absorbed 
in  the  sand.  The  black  loam  forms  soft  slush  and  floats  on  the 
sand.  The  narrow  opening  prevents  it  from  moving  off  in  a 
land-slip,  but  an  oozing  spring  rises  at  that  spot.  All  the  pools 
in  the  lower  portion  of  this  spring-course  are  filled  by  the  first 
rains ;  which  happen  south  of  the  equator  when  the  sun  goes 
vertically  over  any  spot.  The  second  or  greater  rains  happen 
in  his  course  north  again,  when  all  the  bogs  or  river-courses 
being  wet,  the  supply  runs  off  and  forms  the  inundation ;  this 
was  certainly  the  case  as  observed  on  the  Zambesi  and  Shire, 
and  taking  the  different  times  for  the  sun's  passage  north  of  the 
equator  it  explains  the  inundation  of  the  Nile." 

The  people  at  the  town  of  Marenga,  on  Lake  Nyassa,  gathered 
around  Livingstone  in  great  numbers  to  gaze  at  him.  He  took 
the  opportunity  to  point  them  to  the  Lamb  of  God  and  speak 
of  their  souls,  to  which  they  replied,  "  Our  fathers  have  never 
told  us  aught  about  the  soul ;  we  thought  the  whole  man  rotted 
and  came  to  nothing ; "  but  they  listened  quite  attentively, 
especially  when  he  told  them  that  our  Father  loved  them  and 
heard  their  prayers.  He  found  this  village  afflicted  with  small- 
pox, a  disease  which  was  quite  extraordinary  in  Africa,  and  his 
skill  was  greatly  sought  by  the  sufferers. 

On  the  26th  of  September  Livingstone  was  met  by  an  Arab 
who  told  Musa  that  the  whole  country  was  filled  with  Mazitu  ; 
that  forty  Arabs  and  their  followers  had  been  killed  by  them 
at  Kasungu  and  he  alone  escaped.  Musa  and  all  the  Johanna 
men  now  declared  they  would  go  no  farther.  Livingstone 
carried  him  to  Marenga  and  asked  him  about  the  Mazitu.  He 
explained  by  saying  the  "Arabs  and  ammunition  were  brought 
into  the  country  annually,  and  the  Manganja  resisted  Jumbe  and 
would  allow  no  more  to  come — because  they  were  the  sufferers." 

When  Livingstone  startctl  on  his  journey  the  Johanna  men 
walked  off,  leaving  the  goods  on  the  ground ;  he  was  not 
sorry,  however,  as  they  were  such  inveterate  thieves,  they 
could  not   be   trusted.     The  stealing  too  was  not  from  effect 


A   LOVE  TOKEN.  465 

of  hunger;  when  there  was  plenty  they  stole  more.  ^Musa 
shared  the  dainties  stolen  by  his  men ;  he  would  reply  when 
Livingstone  would  speak  to  him  about  it,  "  Me  tell  them 
every  day  no  man  steal  doctor's  things."  At  one  time  one  man 
vStole  fifteen  pounds  of  fine  powder,  another  seven,  another  left 
six  tablecloths  out  of  twenty-four,  another  called  out  to  a  man 
to  bring  a  fish  and  he  would  buy  it  with  beads.  Musa  knew  it 
all  and  connived  at  it,  but  terror  drove  him  away  at  last. 

They  arrived  at  Kimsusa's,  below  Mount  Mulundini  of  Kirk's 
range  (named  after  Dr.  Kirk,  who  with  Dr.  Livingstone  and 
]\Ir.  Charles  Livingstone  discovered  Lake  Nyassa).  The  chief 
being  absent,  was  sent  for.  Another  Arab  passed  with  a  similar 
tale  of  Mazitu,  and  stating  his  slaves  were  all  taken.  It  is  con- 
sidered more  respectable  to  be  robbed  by  Mazitu  than  by  Man- 
ganja,  who  are  considered  nobodies.  On  the  30th  of  this  month, 
being  Sabbath,  it  was  spent  here,  and  Kimsusa's  entertainment 
was  cordiality  and  beer,  but  the  latter  was  not  accepted  by  the 
doctor. 

"  The  chief  came  quickly,  and,"  says  Livingstone,  "  seemed 
glad  to  see  his  old  friend ;  sent  off  at  once  and  had  a  huge 
ram  brought,  which  had  either  killed  or  seriously  injured 
a  man.  The  animal  came  tied  to  a  pole  to  keep  him  off  the 
man  who  held  it,  while  a  lot  more  carried  him.  He  was  pro- 
digiously fat.  This  is  a  true  African  way  of  showing  love — 
plenty  of  food.  Besides  the  ram,  the  chief  brought  a  huge 
basket  of  '  pombe,'  the  native  beer,  and  another  of  '  usima,'  or 
porridge,  and  a  pot  of  cooked  meat."  They  had  so  much,  how- 
ever, that  it  was  impossible  to  carry  what  was  given.  The  sheep 
are  of  the  black-haired  kind ;  their  tails  grow  very  large.  A 
ram  given  by  a  Waiyau  chief  previously  had  a  tail  which 
weighed  eleven  pounds ;  but  for  the  journey  doubtless  an  addi- 
tional two  or  three  pounds  would  have  been  on  it.  Kimsusa 
said  that  earthquakes  were  felt  where  Mpanda  now  lives, 
but  none  where  he  is.  He  seemed  changed,  especially  seemed 
more  rational  about  the  Deity,  and  said  it  was  owing  to  the 
advice  received  from  the  doctor  that  his  village  was  larger 
and  not  from  selling  his  people.  On  the  2d  and  3d  the  chief 
carried  him  off  to  a  dense  thicket  and  under  lofty  trees,  to  a 
shady  spot  as  the  one  in  which  business  is  transacted ;  but  lie 


466  A   KOYAL   ESCORT. 

drank  beer  incessantly,  in  consequence  of  which  he  became  ex- 
tremely loquacious.  Livingstone  reproved  him  for  his  loquacity, 
and  said  that  morning  was  the  time  if  business  was  to  be  done, 
proposing  to  send  some  of  his  men  to  the  Babisa  country,  and 
he  would  pay  them  there  where  they  could  purchase  ivory,  and 
when  they  brought  it  back  he  could  buy  clothing  without  selling 
his  people.  The  chief  refused,  saying  that  his  people  could  not 
be  trusted,  and  that  he  would  buy  ivory  from  the  Arabs  or 
Babisa,  who  would  conduct  his  business  honestly.  Finally  the 
chief  consented  to  give  the  doctor  carriers  to  go  to  the  Marabi, 
hut  wished  to  be  paid  first.  Livingstone  consented  to  this,  but 
he  (the  chief)  could  not  prevail  on  any  one  to  go.  There  was 
a  Mobisa  man  in  an  adjoining  village  who  was  going  to  his  own 
country,  and  as  the  chief  thought  his  men  would  run  at  the 
first  appearance  of  danger  it  was  decided  to  go  with  the  ISIobisa. 
Dr.  Livingstone  found  him  so  very  ignorant,  not  knowing  even 
the  chief  town  of  his  country  or  any  of  the  rivers,  that  he  would 
not  have  him  as  a  guide. 

Kimsusa  came  the  next  day  early  with  a  large  basket  of  beer 
and  found  our  friends  ready  to  start,  but  not  relishing  this  much, 
he  declared  he  would  force  his  men  to  go  or  he  and  his  wives 
would  go  as  carriers — begged  them  to  remain.  October  6th 
finds  our  friends  about  seven  miles  north,  at  a  village  opposite 
the  Pass  Tapiri,  and  on  a  rivulet,  Godedza.  Kimsusa  behaved 
like  a  king,  and  his  wives  carried  the  loads  strapped ;  one  carried 
beer,  another  meal.  As  soon  as  they  got  there,  cooking  com- 
menced. They  make  a  preparation  of  meal  called  "  toku/'  which 
the  doctor  liked  very  much,  and  they  seeing  he  liked  it  made  a 
calabashful  in  the  evening ;  he  thinks  he  would  have  gotten 
fat  if  he  could  have  taken  the  beer,  but  it  required  a  strong 
digestion  ;  a  little  flesh  is  necessary  to  relieve  the  acidity  it  caused, 
but  this  is  kept  very  carefully  and  dried  on  a  stage  before  a 
fire  to  prevent  putridity. 

Livingstone  spoke  of  having  heard  whooping-cough  in  this 
village;  as  this  disease  has  not  before  been  reported  an  African 
one,  it  is  worth  notice.  He  found  the  AVaiyau  visitors  quite  im- 
pudent, forcing  themselves  into  his  hut  uninvited,  demanded 
gun  or  game  medicine,  according  to  a  practice  the  Arabs  had 
instituted  to  drive  a  trade.  As  Livingstone  neare<l  the  Pass 
Tapiri,  Kimsusa  and  his  men  determined  to  go. 


:nifk  and  assagai  heads. 


BECHTJANA    KNIVES. 


ORNAMRNTf;   MADE 

OF  monkeys"  teeth. 


POPULAR    INDUSTPvIES.  469 

On  the  8th  of  October  they  got  to  the  first  village,  and  here 
the  wives  were  paid  for  carrying  his  things;  the  chief  offering 
beer  and  tokn,  and  the  latter  was  accepted  by  the  doctor.  They 
sang  and  clapped  their  hands  until  one  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
October  9th  found  them  four  thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  This 
is  the  hottest  month,  but  the  air  is  clear  and  pleasant.  TIkj 
country  is  very  fine,  lying  in  long  slopes,  with  mountains  rising 
all  around,  from  two  to  three  thousand  feet  above  this  upland. 
They  arc  mostly  jagged  and  rough  (not  rounded  like  those  near 
to  Mataka's) :  tlie  long  slopes  are  nearly  denuded  of  trees,  and  the 
patches  of  cultivation  are  so  large  and  often  squarish  in  form 
that  but  little  imagination  is  requisite  to  transform  the  whole 
into  the  cultivated  fields  of  England ;  but  no  hedgerows  exist. 
The  trees  are  in  clumps  on  the  tops  of  the  ridges,  or  at  tlie 
villages,  or  at  the  places  of  sepulture.  Just  now  the  young  leaves 
are  out,  but  are  not  yet  green.  In  some  lights  they  look  brown, 
but  with  transmitted  light,  or  when  one  is  near  them,  crimson 
prevails.  A  yellowish-green  is  met  sometimes  in  the  young 
leaves,  and  brown,  pink,  and  orange-red.  The  soil  is  rich,  but 
the  grass  is  only  excessively  rank  in  spots ;  in  general  it  is  short. 
A  kind  of  trenching  of  the  ground  is  resorted  to;  they  hoe  deep, 
and  draw  it  well  to  themselves:  this  exposes  the  other  earth  to 
the  hoe.  The  soil  is  burned  too :  the  grass  and  weeds  are  placed 
in  flat  heaps,  and  soil  placed  over  them  :  the  burning  is  slow, 
and  most  of  the  products  of  combustion  are  retained  to  fatten 
the  field ;  in  this  way  the  people  raise  large  crops.  Men  and 
women  and  children  engage  in  field  labor,  but  at  present  many 
of  the  men  are  engaged  in  spinning  buaze  and  cotton.  The 
former  is  made  into  a  coarse  sacking-looking  stuff,  immensely 
strong,  which  seems  to  be  worn  by  the  women  alone ;  the  men 
are  clad  in  uncomfortable  goatskins.  No  wild  animals  seem  to 
be  in  the  country,  and  indeed  the  population  is  so  large  they 
would  have  very  unsettled  times  of  it.  At  every  turning  they 
meet  people,  or  see  their  villages;  all  armed  with  bows  and 
arrows.  The  bows  are  unusually  long  :  Livingstone  measured 
one  made  of  bamboo  and  found  that  along  the  bowstring  it 
measured  six  feet  four  inches.  Many  carry  large  knives  of  fine 
iron  ;  and  indeed  the  metal  is  abundant.  Young  men  and  Momcn 
wear  the  hair  long;  a  mass  of  small  ringlets  comes  down  and 
24 


470  COLD    WEATIIEE. 

rests  on  the  shoulders,  giving  them  the  appearance  of  the  ancient 
Egyptians.  One  side  is  often  cultivated,  and  the  mass  hangs 
jauntily  on  that  side;  some  few  have  a  solid  cap  of  it.  Not 
many  women  wear  the  lip-ring:  the  example  of  the  Waiyau  has 
prevailed  so  far ;  but  some  of  the  young  women  have  raised 
lines  crossing  each  otiier  on  the  arms,  which  must  have  cost 
great  pain :  they  have  also  small  cuts,  covering  in  some  cases 
the  whole  body. 

October  11th  was  a  cold  morning:  thermometer  59°  in  hut; 
doctor  stated  69°.  The  huts  were  well  built,  top  plastered  ;  not 
a  ray  of  light  is  admitted,  and  the  only  Avay  for  it  to  get  in  is 
through  the  door.  This  shows  the  winter  is  cold.  They  made 
a  westerly  march  to  a  village  of  Kulu,  who  entertained  them 
liberally  ;  the  chief  gave  them  a  goat  and  started  with  them 
when  they  left,  but  after  going  about  two  miles  slipped  off  and 
ran  away.  Some  are  naturally  mean,  some  are  noble :  the  mean 
cannot  help  showing  their  nature,  nor  can  the  noble.  Living- 
stone says  he  always  requested  a  head  man  of  a  village  to  go 
with  him,  because  they  gave  a  good  report  of  them,  and  no  one 
wishes  to  countenance  people  other  than  respectable,  and  it  costs 
little.  He  speaks  here  of  coming  to  mountains  having  perpen- 
dicular sides;  these  have  villages  at  the  bottom  as  storehouses 
for  grain,  with  large  granaries  on  the  top  containing  food  in 
case  of  war.  A  large  cow  is  kept  there,  which  is  supposed  to 
be  capable  of  knowing  and  letting  the  owners  know  when  Mar 
is  coming. 

Livingstone  speaks  of  a  village  on  the  western  side  of  a  moun- 
tain called  Phunze  (the  h  being  an  aspirate  only).  Many  vil- 
lages are  planted  rotuid  its  base,  but  in  front,  that  is,  westwards, 
they  have  plains,  and  there  the  villages  are  as  numerous:  mostly 
they  are  within  half  a  mile  of  each  other,  and  few  are  a  mile 
from  other  hamlets.  Each  village  has  a  clump  of  trees  around 
it.  this  is  partly  for  shade  and  partly  for  privacy  from  motives 
of  decency.  The  heat  of  the  sun  causes  the  effluvia  to  exhale 
quickly,  so  they  are  seldom  offensive.  The  rest  of  the  country, 
where  not  cultivated,  is  covered  with  grass,  the  seed -stalks  about 
knee-deep.  It  is  gently  undulating,  lying  in  low  waves,  stretch- 
ing northeast  and  southwest.  The  space  between  each  wave  is 
usually  occupied  by  a  boggy  spot  or  watercourse,  which  in  some 


PLANTING   THE   CROP.  471 

cases  is  filled  with  pools  with  trickling  rills  between.  All  the 
people  are  engaged  at  present  in  making  mounds  six  or  eight 
feet  square,  and  from  two  to  three  feet  high.  The  sods  in  places 
not  before  hoed  are  separated  from  the  soil  beneath  and  collected 
into  flattened  heaps,  the  grass  undermost ;  when  dried,  fire  is 
applied  and  slow  combustion  goes  on,  most  of  the  products  of 
the  burning  being  retained  in  the  ground  ;  much  of  the  soil  is 
incinerated.  The  final  preparation  is  effected  by  the  men 
digging  up  the  subsoil  round  the  mound,  passing  each  hoefid 
into  the  left  hand,  where  it  pulverizes,  and  is  then  thrown  on  to 
the  heap.  It  is  thus  virgin  soil  on  the  top  of  tiie  ashes  and 
burned  ground  of  the  original  heap,  very  clear  of  weeds.  At 
present  many  mounds  have  beans  and  maize  about  four  inches 
high.  Holes,  a  foot  in  diameter  and  a  few  inches  deep,  are 
made  irregularly  over  the  surface  of  the  mound,  and  about  eight 
or  ten  grains  put  into  each  :  these  are  watered  by  hand  and 
calabash,  and  kept  growing  till  the  rains  set  in,  when  a  very 
early  crop  is  secured. 

After  leaving  Phunze  they  crossed  a  rivulet  which  emptied 
into  Lake  Nyassa — undulation  tends  northward.  Some  hills 
were  in  view,  but  were  mere  mounds  by  the  side  of  the  moun- 
tains just  left  behind.  This  locality  is  over  three  thousand 
feet  above  the  sea  and  the  air  is  delightful ;  but  as  they  passed 
many  sjjots  covered  with  a  plant  whicli  grows  in  marshy  places, 
probably  it  would  not  be  pleasant  as  a  place  of  residence.  The 
fact  of  even  maize  being  planted  on  mounds  where  the  ground 
is  naturally  quite  dry  tells  us  the  climate  jnust  be  very  humid. 

Kauma  told  Livingstone  of  some  of  his  people,  who  had 
lately  come  from  Babisa,  purchasing  ivory :  they  would  give 
him  information  about  the  path.  He  took  a  fancy  to  one  of 
the  boys'  blankets,  offering  a  native  cloth,  much  larger,  in  ex- 
change, and  even  a  sheep  to  boot,  but  the  owner  being  unwilling 
to  part  with  his  covering,  Kauma  refused  to  send  for  the 
travellers  on  account  of  the  boy  not  wishing  to  deal  with 
him.  This  chiefVain  says  his  people  are  partly  Kanthunda  and 
partly  Chipeta;  the  first  are  mountaineers  and  the  latter  are 
dwellers  on  the  plain.  The  population  of  his  village  is  large 
and  ceremonious;  in  speaking  of  them,  Livingstone  says, 
"  When  we   meet  any  one  he  turns  aside  and  sits  down.     We 


472  GREAT    NUMBER   OF   PEOPLE. 

have  to  ask  who  are  the  principal  chiefs  in  the  direction 
which  we  wish  to  take,  and  decide  accordingly.  Zoniba  was 
mentioned  as  a  chief  on  a  range  of  hills  on  our  west:  beyond 
him  lies  Undi  m'senga.  I  had  to  take  this  route,  as  my  people 
have  a  very  vivid  idea  of  the  danger  of  going  northwards 
towards  the  Mazitu." 

One  day's  travel  from  Zoraba,  and  west-southwest,  is  the  part 
where  the  Portuguese  formerly  went  for  gold.  They  did  not 
come  there,  however,  as  it  would  have  been  entirely  useless. 
The  country  is  too  full  of  people  to  allow  wild  animals 
elbow-room  :  even  the  smaller  ones  are  hunted  by  nets  and 
doo-s.  The  doctor  rested  at  Pachoma ;  whose  head  man  offered 
a  <>-oat  and  beer,  but  he  declined  and  went  on  to  Molomba.  Here 
Kauma's  carriers  turned  because  a  woman  died  that  morning  as 
thoy  left  the  village;  they  asserted  if  she  had  died  before  they 
started,  not  a  man  would  have  started.  The  head  man  of  Molomba 
was  pom-  but  liberal,  gave  a  goat  and  cooked  for  Livingstone ; 
another  head  man  from  a  neighboring  village  also  called  on  their 
friends  here,  brought  beer  and  a  fowl.  He  went  on  to  Mironga 
with  them  ;  they  saw  Mount  Nyala  in  the  distance,  "  like  a  sugar 
loaf  shot  up  in  the  air."  This  place  being  only  one  and  a  half 
hours  off,  they  went  on  to  Chipanga ;  this  is  the  proper  name  of 
what  on  the  Zambesi  is  corrupted  into  Shupanga.  The  head 
man  here,  a  miserable  hemp-consuming  leper,  fled  from  them 
(hemp-dange  is  smoked  in  Central  Africa). 

They  came  to  a  smithy,  and  watched  the  founder  at  work 
drawing  off  slag  from  the  bottom  of  his  furnace.  He  broke 
through  the  hardened  slag  by  striking  it  with  an  iron  instru- 
ment inserted  in  the  end  of  a  pole,  when  the  material  flowed 
out  of  the  small  hole  left  for  the  purpose  in  the  bottom  of 
the  furnace.  The  ore  (probably  the  black  oxide)  was  like 
sand,  and  was  put  in  at  the  top  of  the  furnace,  mixed  with  char- 
coal. Only  one  bellows  was  at  work,  formed  cmt  of  goatskin, 
and  the  blast  was  very  poor.  Many  of  these  furnaces,  or  their 
remains,  are  met  with  on  knolls ;  those  at  work  have  a  peculiarly 
small  hut  built  over  them. 

On  the  eastern  edge  of  a  valley  lying  north  and  south,  with 
the  Diampwe  stream  flowing  along  it,  and  the  Dzala  nyama 
range  on  the  western  side,  are  two  villages  screened  by  fine  spcci- 


THE   HOPO   AGAIN.  473 

mens  of  the  Jwus  Indica.  One  of  these  is  owned  by  the  head 
man  Theresa,  and  there  they  spent  the  night  after  travelling 
only  a  few  miles.  It  was  found  necessary  to  make  very  short 
marches,  for  the  sun  was  powerful,  and  the  soil  baked  hard,  very 
trying  on  the  feet :  there  was  no  want  of  water,  however,  as 
they  came  to  supplies  every  mile  or  two. 

The  people  seemed  very  poor,  having  few  or  no  beads ;  the 
only  ornaments  being  lines  and  cuttings  on  the  skin.  They 
trust  more  to  buaze  than  cotton.  But  two  cotton  patches  were 
noticed.  The  women  were  decidedly  plain  ;  but  monopolize  all 
the  buaze  cloth.  Theresa  was  excessively  liberal,  and  having 
informed  them  that  Zomba  lived  some  distance  up  the  range  and 
was  not  the  principal  man  in  these  parts,  to  avoid  climbing  the 
hills,  the  party  turned  away  to  the  north,  in  the  direction  of 
the  paramount  chief,  Chisumpi,  whom  they  found  to  be  only 
traditionally  great. 

In  passing  along  they  came  to  a  village  embowered  in  trees. 
The  head  man,  a  fine  specimen  of  Kanthunda,  tall,  well-made, 
fine  forehead  and  Assyrian  nose,  proposed  to  them  to  stay  all 
night,  but  they  declined,  and  after  a  long,  hot  journey  they 
reached  Chitokola's  village,  a  pleasant  one  on  the  east  side  of 
Adiampwe  valley.  Many  elephants  and  other  animals  feed  in 
the  valley,  and  the  Bechuana  hopo  was  seen  again  after  many 
years.  The  hopo,  you  rememl)er,  is  a  funnel-shaped  fence 
which  encloses  a  considerable  tract  of  country;  a  "drive"  is 
organized  and  animals  of  all  descriptions  are  urged  on  until  they 
become  jammed  together  in  the  neck  of  the  hopo,  where  they 
are  si)eared  to  death,  or  else  destroyed  in  a  number  of  pitfalls 
placed  there  for  the  purpose.  In  this  neighborhood  the 
Nyuinbo  plant  was  noticed,  bearing  a  pea-shaped  or  rather 
pa])ili()na('eous  flower  with  a  fine  scent.  It  grows  quite  wild 
and  its  flowers  are  yellow.  Chaola  is  the  poison  used  by  the 
Maravi  for  their  arrows;  it  is  said  to  cause  mortification. 

It  is  so  cold  in  this  climate  that  the  huts  are  built  with  a 
coating  of  plaster,  put  on  the  outside  of  the  roof  before  the 
grass  thatch  is  applied.  Chitikola  was  absent  from  Paritala, 
when  they  arrived,  to  settle  a  milando,  a  full  day's  journey  oif. 
These  milandos  are  petty  lawsuits,  generally  caused  by  the 
women.     This   was  caused   by  a  {)erson    taking  a  few  cars  of 


4.74  A   CASE   FOR   MUAVE. 

Iiitlian  corn  from  another.  The  chief  administered  muave 
(the  ordeal  poison),  the  person  vomited:  was  therefore  innocent. 
On  the  21st  he  returned  foot-sore  and  tired  and  at  once  pre- 
sented some  beer.  This  continual  reference  to  food  is  natural, 
as  it  is  an  important  point  in  the  intercourse  of  travellers 
with  the  native  tribes  in  Africa.  Before  the  chief  arrived  they 
got  nothing ;  the  queen  even  begged  a  little  meat  for  her  sick 
child,  who  was  recovering  from  an  attack  of  small-pox.  There 
being  no  shops  they  had  to  sit  still  without  food.  The  next 
day  they  received  a  goat  cooked  whole  and  plenty  of  porridge. 

Chitikola  guided  them  on  the  22d  to  a  village  called  Ma- 
shumba,  the  head  man  of  which  was  the  only  chief  who  asked 
anything  except  medicine.  He  usually  gave  two  yards  of  un- 
bleached calico.  They  had  to  go  in  the  direction  of  the 
villages  which  were  on  friendly  terms  with  the  guides,  and 
sometimes  they  went  but  a  short  distance,  as  they  studied  to 
make  the  days  as  short  as  possible.  Chitoku,  the  head  man  of 
the  last  village,  took  them  to  a  village  of  smiths — four  furnaces 
and  one  smithy  being  at  work.  When  they  had  crossed  the 
Chiniambo,  they  found  the  country  near  the  hills  covered  with 
gum-copal  trees,  the  bark-cloth  tree,  and  rhododendrons. 

Mpanda  led  them  a  short  cut  to  Chimuna's.  On  this  route 
they  came  into  a  herd  of  about  fifteen  elephants,  and  a  number 
of  trees  laid  down  by  them :  these  animals  chew  woody 
roots  and  branches  as  thick  as  the  handle  of  a  spade.  Many 
buffaloes  and  a  herd  of  elands  were  seen;  a  herd  of  baama  or 
hartebeest  stood  at  two  hundred  paces,  and  one  was  shot. 

"  While  all  were  rejoicing  over  the  meat/'  says  the  doctor,  "  we 
got  news,  from  the  inhabitants  of  a  large  village  in  full  flight,  that 
the  Mazitu  were  out  on  a  foray.  While  roasting  and  eating  meat 
I  went  forward  with  Mpanda  to  get  men  from  Chimuna  to  carry 
the  rest,  but  was  soon  recalled.  Another  crowd  were  also  in  full 
retreat;  the  people  were  running  straight  to  the  Zalanyama 
i>inii(!  regardless  of  their  feet,  making  a  path  for  themselves 
tiiTou^li  the  forest;  they  had  escaped  from  the  Mazitu  that 
morning ;  *  they  saw  them  ! '  INIpanda's  people  wished  to  leave 
and  a;o  to  look  after  their  own  village,  but  we  persuaded  them, 
an  pain  of  a  mi/ando,  to  take  us  to  the  nearest  village,  that  was 
at  the  bottom  of  Zalanyama  proper,  and  we  took  the  spoor  of 


NATIVE    FURNACES.  475 

the  fugitives.  The  hard  grass  with  stalks  nearly  as  thick  as 
quills  must  have  hurt  their  feet  sorely,  but  what  of  that  in  com- 
])arison  with  dear  life !  We  meant  to  take  our  stand  on  the 
hill  and  defend  our  property  in  case  of  the  Mazitu  eoming  near; 
and  we  should,  in  the  event  of  being  successful,  be  a  defence  to 
the  fugitives  who  crowded  up  its  rocky  sides,  but  next  morning 
we  heard  that  the  enemy  had  gone  to  the  south.  Had  we  gone 
forward,  as  we  intended,  to  search  for  men  to  carry  the  meat, 
we  should  have  met  the  marauders,  for  the  men  of  the  second 
party  of  villagers  had  remained  behind  guarding  their  village 
till  the  Mazitu  arrived,  and  they  told  us  what  a  near  escape  I 
had  had  from  walking  into  their  power." 

"Apj)roaching  Chimuna's  town,"  he  continues,  "our  path  was 
through  a  forest,  and  saw  a  number  of  ant-hills — each  the  size  of 
the  end  of  a  one-story  cottage — covered  with  men  on  guard  watch- 
ing for  the  Mazitu.  A  long  line  of  villagers  were  just  arriving 
from  the  soutl),  and  we  could  see  the  smoke  arising  from  the 
settlements;  none  but  men,  the  women  and  chief  were  on  the 
mountain  called  Pambe.  These  villagers  gave  lis  a  good  hut, 
and  sent  at  once  to  the  mountain  for  their  chief.  He  came  in 
the  evening  and  begged  us  to  remain,  but  we  told  him  each  chief 
wished  the  same  thing,  and  if  we  listened  to  all  we  would  never 
get  on,  and  the  rains  were  near;  at  length,  however,  we  decided 
to  remain.  The  next  day  all  the  people  came  down  from  Pambe 
and  crowded  to  see  the  strangers."  Curiosity  must  have  been 
the  special  allotment  of  this  people  in  the  distribution  of  original 
graces.  But  they  were  industrious,  and  industry  covers  almost 
as  many  sins  as  charity,  although  it  is  a  homespun  cloak. 

Their  furnaces  are  rather  bottle-shaped,  and  about  seven 
feet  high  by  three  broad.  One  old  patriarch  had  heard  of  books 
and  umbrellas,  but  had  never  seen  either.  The  oldest  inhab- 
itant had  never  travelled  far  from  the  spot  in  which  he  was 
born  ;  yet  he  had  a  good  knowledge  of  soils  and  agriculture,  hut 
building,  basket  making,  pottery,  and  the  manufacture  of  bark- 
cloth  and  skins  for  clothing;  also  making  of  nets,  traj)  and 
cordage.  Chimuna  was  hospitable,  and  quite  grateful  when  a 
blister  was  applied  by  Livingstone  for  his  rheumatic  ])ains; 
asked  the  latter  to  fire  a  gun  that  the  Mazitu  might  hear  and 
know  that  armed  men  were  here.     They  all  say  they  are  afraid 


476  THE   TRUE   SPIRIT. 

of  firearms ;  for  this  reason  Livingstone  believed  they  were  not 
Zulus  at  all,  though  they  adopted  some  of  their  ways. 

In  going  on  to  the  village  of  Mapuio's  several  large  villages 
were  passed,  each  surrounded  by  hedges  of  euphobia,  and  had 
large  shade  trees.  When  they  arrived,  Mapuio  sent  a  calabash 
of  fresh-made  beer,  gave  them  a  hut,  and  promised  to  cook  for 
them  in  the  evening.  They  had  to  en)ploy  five  or  six  carriers, 
and  they  generally  rule  the  length  of  the  day.  Those  from 
Chimuna's  village  growled  at  the  calico  paid  them,  but  a  few 
beads  pleased  them  perfectly,  and  they  parted  good  friends. 

At  this  point  Livingstone  speaks  of  loving  to  please  them,  as 
it  is  not  likely  he  "will  ever  see  them  again,  and  it  is  right  to 
consider  their  desires.  Is  that  not  what  is  meant  by  '  Blessed 
is  he  that  considereth  the  poor '  ?  "  In  cases  of  milando  they 
rely  on  their  most  distant  friends  and  relatives,  and  are  seldom 
disappointed,  though  time  at  certain  seasons — at  present,  for 
instance — is  precious.  Delicate  features  are  here  seen,  and 
small  hands  and  feet.  Ornaments  are  scarce;  the  men  have 
large  slits  in  the  lobe  of  the  ear;  the  women  indulge  in  this 
painful  luxury  more  than  the  men,  probably  for  this  reason. 

They  spent  October  28th  with  Mapuio,  and  the  next  day — - 
Monday — went  westward  to  Makosa's  village  through  an  ill- 
peopled  country.  The  morning  was  lovely,  the  whole  country 
bathed  in  bright  sunlight,  and  not  a  breath  of  air  disturbed  the 
smoke  as  it  slowly  curled  up  from  the  heaps  of  burning  weeds, 
which  the  native  agriculturist  wisely  destroys.  The  people 
generally  were  busy  hoeing  in  the  cool  of  the  day.  One  old 
man  in  a  village  where  they  rested  had  trained  the  little  hair  he 
had  left  into  a  tail,  which,  well  ]>lastered  with  fat,  he  had  bent 
on  itself  and  laid  flat  on  his  crown ;  another  was  carefully 
paring  a  stick  for  stirring  the  porridge,  and  others  were  enjoy- 
ing the  cool  shade  of  the  wild  fig  trees  which  are  always  planted 
at  villages.  It  is  a  sacred  tree  all  over  Africa  and  India,  and 
the  tender  roots  which  drop  down  towards  the  ground  are  used 
as  medicine — a  universal  remedy.  Can  it  be  a  tradition  of  its 
being  like  the  tree  of  life,  which  Archbishop  Whately  conjec- 
tures mav  have  been  used  in  Paradise  to  render  man  immortal? 
One  kind  of  fig  tree  is  often  seen  hack(>d  all  over  to  get  the  sap, 
which  is  used  as  bird-lime:  bark-cloth  is  made  of  it  too. 


A   DISAGREEABLE   MAN.  479 

The  first  rain — a  thunder  sliowcr — fell  in  the  afternoon ;  it 
was  effectual,  in  one  sense:  it  deprived  a  friend  of  the  chance 
of  getting  the  five  carriers  who  were  in  their  gardens  planting 
seed.  He  got  three  and  was  compelled  to  remain  over.  They 
journeyed  westward  the  next  day,  and  a  little  towards  south 
through  a  country  full  of  trees ;  here  they  saw  wild  hogs  in  a 
group,  though  marks  of  elephants,  buffaloes  and  other  animals 
were  abundant. 

November  1st,  1866,  they  arrived  at  Chigumokire ;  the  next 
morning  proceeded  to  Kangene.  This  village  was  situated  in 
a  mass  of  mountains,  and  to  reach  this  they  had  to  go  a  little 
farther  south  than  desired.  Their  appearance  caused  much  alarm, 
and  they  were  requested  to  Avait  until  our  spokesman  explained 
the  unusual  phenomena  of  the  white  man.  Kangene  was  very 
disagreeable  to  Livingstone,  and  as  he  had  to  employ  five  car- 
riers off  him  he  was  in  this  chief's  power.  He  told  the  doctor 
that  a  brother  of  his  had  been  killed  by  the  Mazitu  and  he 
thought  that  probably  they  belonged  to  them.  He  told  some 
untruths  and  then  began  to  beg  powder.  He  represented  the 
country  to  be  quite  impassable  from  want  of  food  ;  the  Mazitu 
had  stripped  it;  the  people  were  living  off  wild  fruits.  They 
were  detained  here,  on  account  of  the  illness  of  Simon,  for  four 
days.  The  head  man  agreed  to  let  them  have  five  men,  but  de- 
manded such  enormous  wages  that  on  the  7th  they  took  seven 
loads  forward,  leaving  two  men  with  the  rest ;  slept  there  and 
returned  for  the  remainder  on  the  8th.  Kangene  was  disagree- 
able to  the  last.  He  asked  where  they  had  gone,  and,  having 
described  the  turning  point  as  near  the  hill  Chimbimbe,  he  com- 
plimented them  on  going  so  far,  and  then  sent  an  offer  of  three 
men  ;  but  Livingstone  preferred  not  to  have  those  who  would 
have  been  spies  unless  he  could  give  five  and  take  on  all  the 
loads. 

The  country  over  which  they  travel  at  present  is  level  and 
elevated,  but  there  are  mountains  all  about,  which  Avould  ap- 
pear quite  mountainous  if  on  a  map.  The  Leue  or  Leuia  is 
said  by  the  people  to  flow  into  the  Loangwa.  The  Chigumokire 
coming  from  the  north  in  front,  eastward  of  Irongwe  (the  same 
mountains  on  which  Kangene  skulks  out  of  sight  of  Mazitu), 
flows  into  the  Leue,  and  north  of  that  is  the  Mando,  a  little 


480  A    HERD    OF    BUFFALOES. 

stream  flowing  into  the  Bua.  The  rivulets  on  the  west  flow  in 
deep  defiles,  and  the  elevation  on  whieh  they  travel  makes  it 
certain  that  no  water  can  come  from  the  lower  lands  on  the  west. 
It  seems  that  the  Portuguese  in  travelling  to  Casembe  did  not 
inquire  of  the  people  where  the  streams  they  crossed  went,  for 
they  are  often  wrongly  put,  and  indicate  the  direction  only  in 
which  they  appeared  to  be  flowing  at  their  crossing  places.  The 
natives  have  a  good  idea  generally  of  the  rivers  into  which  the 
streams  flow,  though  they  are  very  deficient  in  inforijiation  as 
to  the  condition  of  the  people  that  live  on  their  banks.  Some 
of  the  Portuguese  questions  must  have  been  asked  through  slaves, 
who  would  show  no  hesitation  in  answering.  Maxinga,  or 
Machinga,  means  "  mountains  "  only ;  once  or  twice  it  is  put 
down  Saxa  de  Maxinga,  or  Machinga,  or  Mcanga,  which,  trans- 
lated from  the  native  tongue,  means  "  rocks  of  mountains,  or 
mountains  of  rocks." 

November  lOtli  found  Livingstone  at  the  "  Village  of 
Smiths ;"  here  he  readily  got  five  men  to  go  back  after  his  loads. 
The  sound  of  the  hammer  is  constant  from  dawn  till  sunset.  A 
herd  of  bufl^aloes  came  near  the  village  and  Livingstone  went 
out  and  shot  one,  thus  getting  meat  for  his  party  and  the  vil- 
lagers. During  the  night  a  lion  came  and  gave  a  loud  growl,  and 
finding  he  could  not  get  the  meat  went  oiF;  the  people  kept  up 
a  shouting  for  hours  afterward  in  order  to  keep  him  away  by 
the  hiiman  voice.  They  had  nets  loaned  them  to  protect  their 
provisions  from  any  kind  of  intruders.  They  might  have  gone 
on,  but  Livingstone  had  a  galled  heel  and  could  not  travel. 
Here  he  speaks  of  icihl  figs,  which  are  nice  when  quite  ripe. 

The  people  at  Kalumbi,  on  the  Mando,  once  boasted  a  formid- 
able sto(!kade  of  wild  fig  and  cuphobia  surrounding  their  village; 
but  though  it  withstood  the  assaults  of  men,  even  repelling  the 
warlike  Mazitu,  it  fell  before  elephants  and  buffaloes,  which 
made  an  attack  during  the  absence  of  the  villagers.  There  are 
many  of  the  larger  wild  animals  in  this  region,  and  it  was  not 
uncommon  to  see  the  poor  huts  of  the  natives  broken  in  and 
even  entirely  destroyed  by  ele|)hants  ;  and  there  are  sad  stories 
of  lions  breaking  into  these  frail  tenements  and  waging  cruel 
war  on  their  occupants.  Often  the  first  intimation  a  family  has 
of  the  danger  is  the  crashing  of  the  monster  through  the  thatch 


STEADY   FAITH.  481 

roof,  and   their  only  hope  is   in   the  spear,  and  terrific  scenes 
sometimes  ensue. 

While  at  this  village  there  came  news  by  which  a  more  timid 
heart  than  Dr.  Livingstone's  might  have  been  greatly  disturbed  ; 
he  was  told  that  the  Mazitu — the  scourge  of  the  whole  country 
— were  at  the  village  toward  which  they  were  about  journeying. 
But  Livingstone  was  a  courageous  man,  and  besides  being  long 
accustomed  to  the  perils  of  African  wanderings,  he  had  an  un- 
wavering faith  in  God.  He  remained  in  the  village  amid  the 
busy  preparations  of  the  natives  who  expected  the  enemy  to 
break  upon  them  very  soon,  but  it  is  good  to  observe  how  his 
dependence  on  God  arose  far  grander  than  his  courage.  It  is 
good  to  see  a  strong  man  leaning  on  the  care  of  God  like  a  little 
child. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

A   MONTH   OF   WANT. 

Days  of  Anxiety— Manganja  Blood — Manganja  and  Waiyau — Artizans— Native 
Agriculture — Beautiful  Scenery— Iron  Trade— An  Elephant  Hunter— Difficul- 
ties—Carriers— Livingstone's  Love  for  Nature  —  Memories— No  Food— A 
Splendid  Valley  of  Lilies— Stockades— Sunday  at  Zeore— Rain-Making— The 
Slave  Idea  in  East  Africa — Hedges  of  Bamboo— Bark  Cloth — Huts  for  the 
Spirits  of  the  Dead — Contrasts  in  Character— Forests  and  Rains — Beautiful 
Animals— The  Zebra  very  Beautiful  —  The  Loangwa — Bad  for  Worse — The 
Babisa — A  Miserable  Set— Sorrows  Multiplied— A  Mopane  Forest— Nyarmazi 
— Trading  with  a  Woman — Loss  of  Goats  — Experience  with  a  Guide — The  Hills 
Again— Bee  Hunters— Want,  Want,  Want!  —  Noble  Utterances— "Always 
Hungry"— Elephant  Hunting— >S'M'orrf  Hunting— Daaohite  Land— No  Bread- 
Hunger — Escape  from  a  Cobra— The  Loss  of  the  Dog — Mushrooms— All  the 
Medicine  Lost— The  Worst  of  All— Livingstone's  Gentleness—"  Real  Biting 
Hunger" — Beads  as  Currency— The  Chambese  at  Last. 

The  two  days  in  the  little  village  of  Kalumbe  were  full  of 
anxiety.  The  women,  who  are  the  prizes  always  envied  with 
most  covetous  eyes  by  the  Mazitu,  had  been  sent  away,  and  the 
men  moved  about  among  their  rude  furnaces  and  forges  with  a 
watchfulness  which  expressed  the  seriousness  of  the  occasion 
more  emphatically  than  anything  they  might  have  said.  The 
Manganja  blood  was  clearly  seen  in  the  industry  with  which 
they  handled  the  implements  of  their  rude  art.  The  civilities 
of  this  race  were  always  appreciated  as  truly  refreshing  after 
being  annoyed  by  the  impudence  and  impositions  of  the  Waiyau, 
who  it  could  be  clearly  seen  felt  themselves  the  dominant  race 
in  the  country.  One  of  the  most  interesting  privileges  of  the 
traveller  is  the  opportunity  for  observing  the  differences  which 
distinguish  the  tribes,  all  alike  as  they  may  be  in  their  general 
conditions  of  ignorance  and  degradation.  And  there  was  rarely 
noticed  a  more  decided  difference  in  those  so  intimately  associated 
than  distinguished  these  two  races.  As  a  rule,  the  Manganja 
are  extremely  clever  in  all  the  savage  arts  and  manufactures. 
Their  looms  turn  out  a  strong  serviceable  cotton  cloth  j  their  iron 
482 


CONTRASTED  CHARACTERS.  483 

weapons  and  implements  show  a  taste  for  desiirn  wliich  is  not 
reached  by  the  neigliboring  tribes,  and  in  all  matters  that  relate 
to  husbandry  they  excel :  but  in  dash  and  courage  tliey  are  de- 
ficient. The  Waiyau,  on  the  contrary,  have  round  apple-shaj)ed 
heads,  as  distinguished  from  the  long  well-shaped  heads  of  the 
poor  Manganja;  they  are  jocular  and  merry,  given  to  travelling, 
and  bold  in  war — these  are  qualities  which  serve  them  well  as 
they  are  driven  from  pillar  to  post  through  slave  wars  and 
internal  dissension,  but  they  have  not  the  brains  of  the  Man- 
ganja, nor  the  talent  to  make  their  mark  in  any  direction  where 
brains  are  wanted. 

The  skill  of  the  artizans  even  among  this  clever  race  seemed 
to  diminish,  however,  as  the  distance  from  the  lake  increased. 
They  have  very  little  knowledge  of  anything  beyond  their  own 
limited  possessions,  and  have  pursued  their  avocations  in  the 
flice  of  difficulties  which  can  hardly  be  estimated  by  those  un- 
familiar with  the  thoroughly  commotional  character  of  a  com- 
munity comprising  as  many  sovereignties  as  there  are  villages, 
and  possessing  no  higher  law  than  the  capricious  jealousy  or 
covetousness  of  the  hearts  of  men  in  the  rudest  barbarism.  But 
besides  their  working  in  iron  and  the  agricultural  duties,  the 
people  of  this  region  are  much  given  to  hunting  with  nets,  and 
though  there  was  nothing  on  the  gigantic  scale  of  the  famous 
hopo  of  the  Bakwains,  there  was  certainly  abundant  opportunity 
for  the  employment  of  all  their  skill  and  courage.  Indeed  the 
country  was  literally  overrun  with  the  monsters  of  the  forest, 
and  we  can  hardly  credit  the  accounts  of  the  indifferent  impudence 
with  which  they  stalk  about  the  abodes  of  men. 

Two  days  passed  and  the  Mazitu  not  making  their  appearance 
Livingstone  led  his  party  on  towards  Kanyenje.  The  scenery 
is  described  as  being  very  lovely — as  most  of  the  mountain 
scenery  of  the  country  is.  Over  the  ruggedness  a  beautiful  carpet 
of  green  hung  gracefully  as  could  be,  and  lofty  trees  standing 
proudly  on  summits  and  in  gorges  regulated  the  configuration 
of  the  range  with  wave-like  symmetry.  These  large  trees  were 
more  numerous  than  they  were  nearer  Lake  Nyassa.  Frequently 
along  this  rout«,  following  as  they  did  the  highlands,  the  party 
crossed  the  little  streams  which  had  sources  in  the  neighborhood 
flowing:  in  the  direction  of  the  lake. 


484  SERIOUS   EMBARRASSMENTS. 

The  country  continued  strewn  with  the  evidences  of  the  ancient 
iron  works.  Speaking  of  these,  the  doctor  says  :  "  The  iron  trade 
must  have  been  carried  on  for  an  immense  time  in  the  country, 
for  one  cannot  go  a  quarter  of  a  mile  witliout  meeting  pieces  of 
slag  and  broken  pots,  calcined  pipes,  and  fragments  of  the  fur- 
naces, which  are  converted  by  the  fire  into  brick.  It  is  curious 
that  the  large  stone  sledge-hammers  now  in  use  are  not  called 
by  the  name  stone-hammers,  but  by  a  distinct  word,  '  kama : ' 
nyundo  is  one  made  of  iron."  Though  they  are  greatly  inferior 
to  the  Manganja  in  the  lake  region  in  their  pottery,  the  people 
claim  to  have  come  originally  from  Nyassa,  and  they  also  declare 
that  they  received  the  knowledge  of  iron-smelting  from  Chisumjn 
(God). 

At  Ivanyenjc  he  received  the  usual  attentions;  and  it  was  ex- 
ceedingly gratifying  to  find  that  this  town  had  escaped  the 
ravages  of  the  Mazitu  during  the  last  year.  The  chief  readily 
furnished  some  food,  and  though  not  entirely  free  from  some 
of  the  more  disagreeable  traits  of  men  of  his  sort,  was  reasona- 
bly polite.  Among  the  men  who  figured  most  conspicuously 
about  his  court  was  an  old  gentleman  who  displayed  on  his  arm 
twenty-seven  rings  of  elephants'  skin,  which  marked  him  as  the 
great  hunter  of  the  town.  And  when  it  is  remembered  that 
these  trophies  had  all  been  won  by  the  spear  alone,  we  should 
not  be  astonished  that  they  are  worn  with  great  pride. 

But  although  there  was  abundance  of  large  game  reported  on 
all  sides  the  party  passed  on  with  no  special  adventure.  Indeed 
the  journey  was  already  becoming  one  full  of  anxiety  and  hard- 
ship to  Livingstone.  They  were  advancing  slowly  toward  the 
north,  and  his  stock  of  goods  had  been  sadly  diminished  through 
the  dishonesty  of  the  men  who  had  already  so  faithlessly  deserted 
him.  And  besides  the  embarrassment  of  these  losses  he  was 
under  the  necessity  of  having  carriers  for  the  small  store  which  he 
still  possessed.  These  embarrassments,  added  to  the  devastations 
of  the  INIazitu,  made  it  exceedingly  difficult  to  procure  food  on 
any  terms.  The  inconvenience  of  being  so  de})endcnt  on  carriere 
was  perhaps  more  annoying  than  it  would  have  been  among  the 
trii)es  farther  south,  because  the  chiefs  are  less  absolute  and  feel 
more  the  importance  of  courting  their  people.  It  was  not  un- 
fre(juently  the  case  that  some  trifling  whim  on  the  part  of  the 


THE  CHARMS  OF  NATURE.  485 

people  made  it  impossible  to  secure  transportation,  and  in  such 
eases  the  only  thing  to  be  done  was  to  post  a  guard  about  the 
packs  and  go  on  until  men  could  be  engaged  to  bring  them 
up.  This  had  been  the  case  at  Kanyenje.  The  head  man, 
Kanyindula,  came  on  tlie  morning  of  the  doctor's  departure 
from  iiis  village  with  three  carriers,  but  they  demanded  payment 
in  advance  for  their  services.  This  was  one  of  the  tricks  which  a 
traveller  is  not  long  finding  out,  and  Livingstone  knew  too  well 
tliat  he  would  be  only  the  poorer  by  accepting  them  on  those 
terms,  and  decided  to  go  on  to  a  little  village  at  the  "fountain 
eye  "  of  the  Bua,  whence  he  sent  men  back  for  the  loads. 

But  the  entrance  in  his  journal  of  that  date  shows  that  he 
found  abundant  use  for  even  the  hours  which  might  have  hung 
very  iieavily  on  the  hands  of  an  ordinary  man.  His  ardent  love 
for  nature  always  came  to  his  relief,  breaking  the  power  of  the 
innumerable  annoyances  of  his  lonely  and  toilsome  marches. 
His  eye  loved  to  wander  over  the  splendid  mountains,  and  his 
habit  of  careful  observation  converted  every  scene  into  a  study. 
In  this  neighborhood  he  noticed  considerable  quantities  of  quartz 
rock,  and  fragments  of  titaniferous  iron  ore,  with  hseniatite 
changed  by  heat  and  magnetic  ore;  and  he  thought  it  worthy 
of  mention  that  the  little  rivulets  about  the  resting  place  flowed 
some  of  them  northward  toward  the  upper  part  of  Nyassa,  and 
others  southward,  making  a  contribution  to  the  Loangwa  and 
finding  their  way  to  the  sea  with  the  majestic  Zambesi.  A 
few  lines  of  his  written  at  this  time  exhibit  the  spirit  of  the 
man,  and  gives  us  a  glimpse  of  the  country  which  will  help  us 
to  realize  more  fully  his  surroundings. 

"We  left  Bua  fountain— latitude  13°  40'  south— and  made 
a  short  march  to  Mokatoba,  a  stockaded  village,  where  tiie 
peo[)le  refused  to  admit  us  till  the  head  man  came.  They 
have  a  little  food  here,  and  sold  us  some.  We  have  been 
on  rather  short  commons  for  some  time,  and  this  made  our 
detention  agreeable.  We  rose  a  little  in  altitude  after  leaving 
this  morning;  then,  though  in  the  same  valley,  made  a  little 
descent  towards  the  north-northwest.  High  winds  came  driv- 
ing over  the  eastern  range,  which  is  called  Mchinje,  and 
bring  large  masses  of  clouds,  which  are  the  rain-givers.  They 
seem  to  come  from  the  southeast.     The  scenery  of  the  valley  is 


^KSO  AFRICAN    MOUNTAIXEEIIS. 

lovely  and  rich  in  the  extreme.  All  the  foliage  is  fresh-washod 
and  clean  ;  young  herbage  is  bursting  through  the  ground ;  the 
air  is  delieiously  cool,  and  the  birds  are  singing  joyfully  :  one, 
called  Mzie,  is  a  good  songster,  with  a  loud,  melodious  voice." 
The  charms  of  nature  multiplied  about  him  as  he  advanced  ;  at 
every  village,  however,  there  was  the  unwelcome  news  of  "  no 
food."  The  ravages  of  the  Mazitu  met  them  again.  The  inhabi- 
tants had  generally  resorted  to  the  custom  of  surrounding  their 
homes  by  stockades,  and  in  their  extremity,  like  true  mountaineers, 
as  they  were,  would  fly  to  their  rocky  fastnesses  and  from  the  safe 
cliffs  wage  a  most  effectual  war  on  their  assailants  with  huge  stones 
— the  artillery  of  mountain  clans  in  all  ages — which  they  knew 
well  how  to  hurl  down  along  the  familiar  paths.  Crossing  the 
Sandili,  it  was  found  that  the  route  lay  along  the  slope  which 
inclines  to  the  Loangwa,  and  very  soon  the  mountains  were 
towering  behind,  and  a  comparatively  level  country  stretched 
away  toward  the  north,  covered  with  a  sylvan  foliage  which 
might  easily  deceive  the  most  practised  eye  if  viewed  only  from 
a  distance.  The  seeming  forests  of  stately  trees  on  nearer  ap- 
proach dwindled  into  mere  hop-poles.  Vast  districts  were  found 
to  be  kept  clothed  with  a  growth  of  these  poles,  but  the  mystery 
was  easily  solved  when  it  was  noticed  that  the  whole  domain 
was  swarming  with  charcoal  burners. 

On  the  24th  of  November  Livingstone  entered  Zeore's  village, 
on  the  banks  of  a  stream  of  insignificant  appearance,  called 
Lokuzhwa,  flowing  away  toward  the  Loangwa  through  a  splen- 
did valley  distinguished  by  its  rich,  dark  red  loam,  above  which 
innumerable  lilies  of  the  amaryllis  kind  had  woven  their  pure 
white  blossoms  into  a  snowy  carpet.  The  people  of  the  village 
called  themselves  Echewa,  and,  though  a  tribe  of  the  Manganja, 
were  distinguished  by  a  different  marking  from  the  Atumboka, 
who  dwelt  more  among  the  hills. 

The  formidable  appearance  of  the  stockade  had  secured  this 
village  from  the  assaults  of  the  Mazitu,  who  came  only  and 
looked  on  it  and  departed  ;  and  as  the  people  had  food  to  sell, 
Dr.  Tjivingstone  decidod  to  remain  there  over  Sunday.  Of  this 
peoj)le  he  says:  "The  m(>n  have  the  hair  dressed  as  if  a  number 
of  the  hairs  of  elej)hants'  tails  were  stuck  around  the  head  :  the 
women  wear  a  small  lip-ring,  and  a  straw  or  piece  of  stick  in  the 


SUNDAY  SERVICE.  487 

lower  lip,  Avbich  dangles  down  about  level  with  the  lower  edge 
of  the  chin  :  their  clothing  in  front  is  very  scanty.  The  men  know 
nothing  of  distant  places,  the  Manganja  being  a  very  stay-at-home 
people.  The  stockades  are  crowded  with  huts,  and  the  children 
have  but  small  room  to  play  in  the  narrow  spaces  betv/een." 

The  service  of  Sunday,  which  Dr.  Livingstone  never  neg- 
lected, attracted  the  attention  of  the  natives,  and  interested  them 
considerably.  Rain  was  greatly  needed,  and  as  they  had  the 
impression  that  he  was  praying  for  it,  they  were  probably 
watching  for  the  effects.  It  must  seem  very  strange  to  per- 
sons who  though  heathen  are  still  so  fixed  in  their  peculiar 
beliefs,  that  others  should  account  all  their  cherished  creed  a  silly 
fiction.  The  head  man  of  this  village  was  intelligent,  however, 
and  seemed  to  appreciate  the  instruction  he  received.  He  was 
not  enough  interested  in  his  visitor  to  be  at  very  much  pains  for 
his  convenience. 

Speaking  of  him  the  doctor  says :  "  Zeore's  people  would  not 
carry  without  prepayment,  so  we  left  our  extra  loads  as  usual  and 
went  on,  sending  men  back  for  them:  these,  however,  did  not 
come  till  the  27th,  and  then  two  of  my  men  got  fever.  I  groan 
in  spirit,  and  do  not  know  how  to  make  our  gear  into  nine  loads 
only.  It  is  the  knowledge  that  we  shall  be  detained  some  two 
or  three  months  during  the  heavy  rains  that  makes  me  cleave 
to  it  as  means  of  support." 

But  he  did  not  suffer  his  troubles  to  interfere  with  his  obser- 
vation of  the  customs  and  country,  as  we  see  in  the  following  ex- 
tracts: "Advantage  has  been  taken  by  the  people  of  spots  where 
the  Lokuzhwa  goes  round  three  parts  of  a  circle  to  erect  their 
stockaded  villages.  This  is  the  case  here,  and  the  Avater,  being 
stagnant,  engenders  disease.  The  country  abounds  in  a  fine 
light  blue  flowering  perennial  pea,  which  the  people  make  use 
of  as  a  relish.  At  present  the  blossoms  only  are  collected  and 
boiled.  On  inquiring  the  name,  chilobe,  the  men  asked  me  if 
we  had  none  in  our  country.  On  replying  in  the  negative,  they 
looked  with  pity  on  us :  '  What  a  wretched  country  not  to  have 
chilobe!'  It  is  on  the  highlands  above;  we  never  saw  it  else- 
where. Another  species  of  pea  {chilobe  weza),  with  reddish 
flowers,  is  eaten  in  the  same  way ;  but  it  has  spread  but  little  in 
comparison.  It  is  worth  remarking  that  porridge  of  maize  or 
25 


488  "property  in  man." 

sorghnm  is  never  offered  without  some  pulse,  beans,  or  bean 
leaves,  or  flowers ;  they  seem  to  feel  the  need  of  it,  or  of  pulse, 
which  is  richer  in  flesh-formers  than  the  porridge. 

"  Last  night  a  loud  clapping  of  hands  by  the  men  was  foU 
lowed  by  several  half-suppressed  screams  by  a  Avoman.  They 
were  quite  eldritch,  as  if  she  could  not  get  them  out.  Then 
succeeded  a  lot  of  utterances  as  if  she  were  in  ecstasy,  to  which 
a  man  responded,  '  Moio,  moio.'  The  utterances,  so  far  as  I 
rx>uld  catch,  were  in  five-syllable  snatches — abrupt  and  labored. 
I  wonder  if  this  '  bubbling  or  boiling  over'  has  been  preserved 
as  the  form  in  which  the  true  prophets  of  old  gave  forth  their 
*  burdens  ? '  One  sentence,  frequently  repeated  towards  the 
close  of  the  effusion,  was  'Imyama  uta^  'flesh  of  the  bow,' 
showing  that  the  Pythoness  loved  venison  killed  by  the  bow. 
The  people  applauded  and  attended,  hoping  that  rain  would 
follow  her  efforts.  And  next  day  she  was  duly  honored  by 
drumming  and  dancing." 

Here,  as  in  so  many  of  the  villages,  Livingstone  found  the 
idea  of  property  in  man  and  slave-trading.  This  belief  in  the 
right  to  sell  a  man,  while  it  seems  very  widely  extended,  the 
doctor  assures  us,  is  found,  except  in  the  Arabs,  only  in  two 
families  of  the  people  in  the  eastern  part  of  Africa.  The  Zulus, 
as  we  know,  and  the  Bechuanas,  abhor  slavery.  The  Waiyau 
and  the  Manganja  only  welcome  the  emissaries  of  Zanzibar 
markets  with  their  degrading  yokes. 

He  was  now  nearing  the  Loangwa,  and  it  would  be  refreshing 
to  see  again,  though  so  far  np,  the  river  which  flowed  away 
through  the  familiar  scenes  of  the  Zambesi  and  on  into  the  great 
ocean.  It  would  be  like  the  opening  of  a  window  on  the  lone- 
liness of  a  long  imprisonment.  One  of  the  most  beautiful  things 
in  the  character  of  Livingstone  was  the  fondness  with  which  he 
cherished  the  sweet  memories  of  scenes  endeared  by  the  associa- 
tions of  other  days,  and  the  readiness  with  which  his  mind 
yielded  to  the  guidance  of  the  simplest  incidents  and  most 
ordinary  objects,  which  led  him  in  imagination  among  them 
even  when  enduring  severest  hardships  and  burdened  with  most 
onerous  duties.  He  was  not  wandering  in  the  wilds  of  Africa, 
as  some  had  unkindly  hinted,  because  he  did  not  appreciate  the 
endearments  of  home :  no  man  ever  loved  the  refinements  of 


CLOTH-MAKING.  489 

civilization  more  than  he;  and  this  was  not  a  small  part  of  his 
singular  power  with  the  untutored  inhabitants  of  those  wilds. 

The  villages  along  his  route  as  he  approached  the  Loangwa 
were  generally  surrounded  by  hedges  of  bamboo,  and  the  signs 
of  industry  were  cheering.  Besides  the  noise  of  forges  and 
furnaces,  there  was  heard  everywhere  the  tap-tap-tapping, 
wiiich  reminded  the  travellers  of  the  peculiar  and  ingenious 
cloth-making  which  engages  so  many  quick  hands.  This  cloth 
is  manufactured  of  bark.  The  bark  on  being  removed  from 
the  tree  is  steeped  in  water  or  in  a  black  muddy  hole  till  the 
outer  of  the  two  inner  barks  can  be  separated,  then  commences 
the  tapping  with  the  mallet,  by  which  the  fibres  are  separated 
and  softened  and  prepared  for  their  rustic  looms.  Sometimes 
there  were  seen  beautiful  indications  of  tenderer  feelings  and 
loftier  thoughts  than  some  may  dream  of  as  existing  so  far  away 
from  the  confines  of  the  light  of  boasted  civilization.  The  ideas 
of  God  were  vague  indeed,  and  there  were  only  the  suggestions 
of  the  untaught  souls  about  the  existence  of  man  beyond  the 
grave,  but  in  these  villages  there  were  often  seen  beautiful  little 
huts,  two  feet  high  only,  which  bereaved  parents  and  friends 
had  made  with  great  care,  where  they  loved  to  place  their  daily 
offerings  to  the  loved  ones  who  had  gone  into  the  mysterious 
gloom.  It  was  sad  to  think  that  they  had  no  clearer  ideas  of 
the  future,  but  it  was  a  welcome  thing  to  see  even  such  evi- 
dences of  the  recognition  of  human  immortality,  and  it  was 
pleasing  to  observe  such  tender  mindfulness  of  the  dead.  But 
there  are  painful  contrasts  in  human  nature,  and  in  these  very 
villages  where  parents  and  relatives  were  so  thoughtful  of  their 
own  dead,  there  was  no  friendly  hand  to  stretch  across  the  line 
of  consanguinity  and  succor  the  desolate  orphan ;  if  a  mother 
died,  no  one  cared  for  the  helpless  child  she  might  leave.  Liv- 
ingstone passed  one  of  these  poor  little  uncared-for  ones  crying 
piteously  for  its  mother,  who  could  not  come  back  out  of  death, 
and  all  the  passing  women  did  was  to  say  carelessly,  "She 
is  coming."  His  own  tender  care  came  too  late,  and  the 
little  crying  one  passed  away.  Surely  the  Christian  world 
cannot  withhold  from  the  millions  of  Africa  that  blessed  truth 
which,  like  the  heart  of  Christ,  ignores  the  lines  of  inter&st  and 
community,  and  makes  of  all  men  one  family  in  the  Lord ! 


490  THE    RAINS   BEGIXN'ING. 

We  cannot  tell  how  the  inspirhig  hope  of  Africa's  redemption 
strengthened  the  heart  and  hand  of  the  great  man  who,  in  all 
his  devotion  to  science,  was  still  obeying  the  loftier  anxieties 
which  first  moved  him  to  lay  himself  on  God's  altar  an  offering 
for  the  heathen.  More  and  more  he  needed  to  be  sustained ;  no 
aspiration  could  more  than  match  the  painfulness  of  the  daily 
life  he  was  leading.  The  hills  were  clothed  with  forests  of 
dwarf  trees,  whose  spreading  boughs  accumulated  the  heavy 
drops  of  the  rains  which  were  beginning  to  fall  very  frequently, 
and  seemed  to  take  delight  in  shaking  their  dripping  leaves  just 
when  the  travellers  passed,  as  if  conspiring  with  the  clouds  to 
drench  them  mast  unpityingly.  This  region,  like  other  parts 
of  the  land,  receives  its  favors  from  above  at  regular  intervals, 
and  there  are  long  periods  when  the  sun  holds  undisputed 
sway ;  and  though  the  heat  is  not  so  intolerable  as  in  the  barren 
regions,  and  the  atmosphere  is  purer  than  in  the  rank  marshes 
of  the  lov^-er  lands  along  the  great  rivers,  the  ground  becomes 
dry  and  hard,  and  all  about  its  surface  are  deep  cracks  which, 
in  the  rainy  season,  are  soon  filled,  and  their  lingering  traces 
hidden  by  beautiful  grasses  and  flowers.  Kow  and  then  the 
monotony  of  the  scrub  forests  Avas  relieved  by  the  appearance 
of  statelier  trees;  the  majestic  mopane  sometimes  appeared,  and 
beautiful  birds,  and  odd  little  insects,  and  various  animals — 
elands,  zebras,  gnus,  kanias,  pallahe,  buffaloes,  and  reed-bucks. 
These  are  among  the  clioice  game  of  the  country,  and  the  doctor 
was  fortunate,  although  he  was  no  longer  skilful  as  a  hunter, 
in  securing  considerable  supplies.  Perhaps  no  animal  in  Africa 
is  at  once  so  much  admired  for  its  beauty  and  at  the  same  time 
so  highly  valued  for  its  flesh  as  the  singularly  wild  and  fantastic 
zebra;  his  beautiful  stripes  flashing  in  the  sun,  and  his  marvel- 
lous gracefulness  as  he  dashes  about  the  flowers  or  through  the 
forests,  fill  the  beholder  with  admiration,  and  there  is  no  finer 
sport  than  dashing  into  the  midst  of  the  splendid  herds  of  them 
which  move  about  almost  anywhere. 

After  innumerable  annoyances  from  guides  and  trouble  with 
carriers  and  days  of  struggling  along  the  most  unpath-like- 
paths,  Livingstone  at  last  reached  the  Loangwa  and  halted  at 
the  stronghold  of  Maranda.  But  wearying  as  the  march  had 
been,  there  was  nothing  refreshing  to  be  seen  or  heard  there, 


CROSSING   THE   LOANGWA.  493 

only  the  desolate,  neglected  appearance  of  the  fields,  and  stories 
of  the  ravages  of  the  national  banditti  who  werre  the  terror  of 
all  the  region  through  which  he  had  passed.  And  being  un- 
able to  obtain  food  of  any  sort  for  any  consideration,  the  party 
decided  on  crossing  the  river  immediately.  They  were  now 
in  12°  45'  S. — about  three  hundred  miles  above  the  confluence 
of  the  Loangwa  with  the  Zambesi,  with  which  we  became 
familiar  in  earlier  portions  of  this  work.  Though  so  far  away 
from  its  mouth,  the  river  was  from  seventy  to  a  hundred  yards 
wide  and  quite  deep.  It  flows  down  from  the  mountains  on 
the  north  out  of  the  Chitale  country.  The  sandy  bottom  which 
distinguishes  so  many  African  rivers  and  the  great  sand-banks 
were  features  to  be  expected,  and  the  alluvial  banks  with  great 
forest  trees  along  them  were  familiar  scenes.  There,  too,  were 
the  various  animals  whose  presence  intensify  the  wildness  of 
the  land. 

The  experiences  had  been  trying  enough  in  Manganja  country, 
but  a  more  painful  pilgrimage  was  before  him. 

The  party,  which  had  been  reduced,  first  by  the  return  of  the 
worthless  Sepoys  and  afterwards  by  the  desertion  of  Musa  and 
his  Johanna  men,  had  recently  been  reinforced  by  two  Waiyau 
and  another  man  who  had  been  employed  as  keeper  of  four  goats, 
which  were  very  highly  valued  by  Dr.  Livingstone  for  their 
milk.  After  crossing  the  Loangwa  the  doctor  headed  his  party 
more  directly  north  toward  the  foot  of  Lake  Tanganyika,  The 
route  lay  first  across  a  vast  extent  of  low  flat  country — a  coun- 
try where  nature  had  been  very  lavish  of  her  wealth,  but  sadly 
cursed  by  human  degradation.  The  Babisa  who  occupied  the 
land  under  various  local  names,  while  dependents  of  the  great 
paramount  chieftain  on  the  north,  as  is  generally  the  case  in  the 
remote  dependencies  of  African  chieftains,  gave  little  thought 
to  his  authority,  and  imitated  the  Mazitu  in  all  the  idle  plun- 
dering habits  which  distinguish  those  tribes  who  make  trading 
their  principal  business.  It  required  only  a  few  days  in  their 
midst  to  show  Dr.  Livingstone  that  he  could  expect  very  little 
civility  at  their  hands.  Their  business  was  in  slaves  and  ivory, 
and  there  was  a  poor  welcome  for  the  traveller  who  wanted 
neither.  It  was  almost  impossible  to  pui-chase  food  of  any  sort, 
and  frequently  even  a  hut  was  refused.     The  hardships  must 


494  A   NATURAL   ARCADE. 

have  been  severe  which  were  almost  unendurable  to  the  man 
who  had  already  cx])erieneed  patiently  so  much  want  and  ex- 
posure, and  who  was  braced  by  higher  aspirations  and  deeper 
convictions  of  duty  than  had  ever  impelled  an  explorer  before. 
The  great  difficulty  of  procuring  guides  greatly  aggravated  tlie 
other  miseries  of  the  march.  It  was  trying  indeed  to  be  com- 
pelled to  strike  across  the  pathless  forests,  wet  and  hungry,  with 
almost  certainty  that  the  to-morrow  would  bring  nothing  better 
than  to-day.  It  was  fortunate — indeed  it  was  more  than  fortu- 
nate, it  was  providential — that  this  inhospitable  land  was  alive 
everywhere  with  splendid  game,  and  from  these  herds  the  entire 
store  of  food  was  supplied.  Day  after  day  there  was  the  same 
wearying  haggling  of  the  natives  about  every  trifling  matter  and 
tiie  same  agonizing  gnawings  of  hunger.  But  there  were  charms 
in  the  forest  scenery  which  sometimes  cheered  the  great  man's 
soul  as  he  passed  along  with  his  little  band  of  followers.  Some- 
times the  great  mopane  trees  prevailed :  their  immense  size,  the 
regular  distances  at  which  they  stood,  and  the  absence  from  their 
stately  trunks  of  lower  branches,  while  their  splendid  foliage 
wove  a  canopy  far  above  through  which  the  golden  sunshine  was 
filtered  down  on  the  lovely  wild  flowers,  and  the  wings  of  birds 
and  glossy  coats  of  zebras  and  antelopes,  formed  a  grand  arcade 
for  God  to  smile  on.  These  beauties  and  the  grandeur  were 
not  lost  on  Livingstone. 

Charming  as  had  been  the  choral  melodies  whicli  sometimes 
broke  on  his  ear  along  the  Zambesi,  there  were  many  new 
notes  to  be  distinguished  here,  and  there  could  be  little  doubt  that 
the  region  was  richer  in  ornithological  life  than  any  he  had  seen. 

On  December  the  20th  Livingstone  reached  the  viUage  of 
Casembo,  but  not  the  great  chief  who  figures  elsewhere  in  his 
story.  This  man  was  the  master  of  a  miserable  hamlet  consist- 
ing of  only  a  few  huts.  The  ap]>earance  was  enough  to  dash  all 
the  hopes  w^hich  had  been  cherished  of  finding  food.  Nothing 
coukl  be  had ;  "  no  grain,  not  even  herbs."  "After  a  short  march 
from  here,"  says  he,  "  we  came  to  the  Nyamazi,  a  considera- 
ble rivulet  coming  from  the  north  to  fall  into  the  Loangwa. 
It  has  the  same  character,  of  steep  alluvial  banks,  as  Pamazi,  and 
about  the  same  width,  but  much  shallower;  loin  deep,  though 
somewhat  swollen ;  from  fifty  to  sixty  yards  wide.     "We  saw 


THE   LOANGWA   VALLEY.  495 

some  low  Iiills,  of  coai'se  sandstone,  and  on  crossing  these  we 
could  see,  by  looking  back,  that  for  many  days  we  had  been 
travelling  over  a  perfectly  level  valley,  clothed  with  a  mantle  of 
forest.  The  barometers  had  shown  no  difference  of  level  from 
about  one  thousand  eight  hundred  feet  above  the  sea.  We  began 
our  descent  into  this  great  valley  when  we  left  the  source  of  the 
Bua;  and  now  these  low  hills,  called  Ngale  or  Ngaloa,  though 
only  one  hundred  feet  or  so  above  the  level  we  had  left,  showed 
tliat  we  had  come  to  the  shore  of  an  ancient  lake,  which  prob- 
ably was  let  off  when  the  rent  of  Kebra-basa  on  the  Zambesi 
was  made,  for  we  found  immense  banks  of  well-rounded  shingle 
above— or,  rather,  they  may  be  called  mounds  of  shingle — all 
of  hard  silicious  schist  with  a  few  pieces  of  fossil-wood  among 
them.  The  gullies  reveal  a  stratum  of  this  well-rounded  shingle, 
lying  on  a  soft  greenish  sandstone,  which  again  lies  on  the  coarse 
sandstone  first  observed.  This  formation  is  identical  with  that 
observed  formerly  below  the  Victoria  Falls.  We  have  the 
mountains  still  on  our  north  and  northwest  (the  so-called  moun- 
tains of  Bisa,  or  Babisa),  and  from  them  the  Nyamazi  flows, 
while  Pamazi  comes  round  the  end,  or  what  appears  to  be  the 
end,  of  the  higher  portion." 

But  hunger,  the  hard  master,  drove  them  on  toward  the  vil- 
lage of  one  Kavimba,  who  had  successfully  resisted  the  Mazitu. 
There  he  was  destined  to  disappointment  as  usual.  Kavimba 
gave  only  a  small  return-present  for  the  offering  which  was 
made  him,  and  would  sell  nothing  except  for  most  exorbitant 
prices.  All  day  the  24th  of  December  they  remained  trying  to 
get  some  grain.  But,  besides  the  ordinary  difficulties  of  dealing 
with  these  professional  traders,  in  this  particular  place  the  women 
were  rather  in  authority,  and  the  Kavimba  very  readily  turned 
over  the  matter  of  bargaining  to  his  spouse.  She  went  about 
her  business  after  the  fashion  of  a  fish-woman.  There  was  no 
end  to  her  swearing  and  cursing,  nor  could  any  amount  of  patience 
draw  from  her  anything  like  a  reasonable  return  for  the  articles 
she  desired. 

The  next  day  was  Christmas,  but  instead  of  a  Chrifetmas 
dinner  the  day  was  made  painfully  memorable  by  the  loss  of 
the  four  goats  which  Livingstone  had  kept  so  carefully  in  his 
long   march.     It  was  a  sad  loss  indeed ;  with  no  bread,  only 


496  BEE    HUXTEES    AND   THEIR   BIRD. 

such  coarse  food  as  could  be  picked  up  here  and  there,  it  was 
bad  to  be  robbed  of  the  last  article  which  gave  him  any  sort 
of  satisfaction.  "  The  lo&s/'  he  said,  "  affected  me  more  than 
any  one  could  imagine."  But  every  day  brought  so  many  ills 
that  there  was  hardly  time  for  more  than  a  thought  about  each. 
From  the  town  of  Kavimba  a  man  had  volunteered  his  services 
as  guide  :  only  the  next  day  he  asked  for  the  cloth  which  he  was 
to  receive  that  he  might  wear  it,  as  his  bark  cloth  was  a  miser- 
able covering;  no  sooner  had  he  received  it  than  he  watched  his 
oliance  and  bolted  on  the  first  opportunity. 

Being  thus  left  to  their  own  judgment  they  pressed  on,  fol- 
lowing as  nearly  as  possible  the  track  of  a  travelling  party  of 
Babisa,  and  the  afternoon  of  the  27th  of  December  reached  the 
hills  on  the  north,  where  the  Nyamazi  rises ;  and  after  passing 
up  the  bed  of  a  rivulet  for  some  time  began  the  ascent,  of  which 
he  says :  "At  the  bottom  and  in  the  rivulet  the  shingle  stratum 
was  sometimes  fifty  feet  thick,  then  as  we  ascended  we  met  mica 
schist  tilted  on  edge,  then  gray  gneiss,  and  last  an  igneous  trap 
among  quartz  rocks,  with  a  greal  deal  of  bright  mica  and  talc 
in  them.  On  resting  near  the  top  of  the  first  ascent  two  honey 
hunters  came  to  us.  They  were  using  the  honey-guide  as  an 
aid ;  the  bird  came  to  us  as  they  arrived,  waited  quietly  during 
the  half-hour  they  smoked  and  chatted,  and  then  went  on  with 
them." 

This  extraordinary  bird  flies  from  tree  to  tree  in  front  of  the 
hunter,  chirruping  loudly,  and  will  not  be  content  till  it  arrives 
at  the  spot  where  the  bees'  nest  is ;  it  then  waits  quietly  till  the 
honey  is  taken,  and  feeds  on  the  broken  morsels  of  comb  which 
fall  to  its  share. 

Near  sunset  the  party  encamped  by  Avater  on  the  cool  height 
and  made  their  shelter  for  the  night.  A  few  extracts  from  the 
last  journal  will  serve  better  to  convey  the  true  picture  of  the 
Aveary,  laborious  life  which  the  great  man  was  leading  than  any 
version  of  it  we  could  give,  and  will  also  serve  better  to  reveal 
the  real  spirit  of  the  man. 

"The  next  day,"  he  writes,  "three  men,  going  to  hunt  bees, 
came  to  us  as  we  were  starting  and  assured  us  that  Moerwa's 
was  near.  The  first  party  had  told  us  the  same  thing,  and  so 
often  have  we  gone  long  distances  as  ' pofupi  (near),'  when  in 


moerwa's  visit.  497 

reality  they  were  ' patarl  (far)/  that  we  begin  to  think  pafupl 
means  '  I  Avish  you  to  go  there,'  and  palarl  the  reverse.  In 
this  case  near  meant  an  hour  and  three-quarters  from  our 
sleeping-place  to  Moerwa's! 

"When  we  look  back  from  the  height  to  M'hieh  we  have 
ascended  we  see  a  great  plain  clothed  with  dark  green  forast 
except  at  the  line  of  yellowish  grass,  where  probably  the  Loangwa 
flows.  On  the  east  and  southeast  this  plain  is  bounded  at  the 
extreme  range  of  our  vision  by  a  wall  of  dim  blue  mountains 
forty  or  fifty  miles  off. 

"Moerwa  came  to  visit  me  in  my  hut,  a  rather  stupid  man, 
though  he  has  a  well-shaped  and  well-developed  forehead,  and 
tried  the  usual  little  arts  of  getting  us  to  buy  all  we  need  here 
though  the  prices  are  exorbitant.  'No  people  in  front;  great 
hunger  there.'  '  We  must  buy  food  here  and  carry  it  to  support 
us.'  On  asking  the  names  of  the  next  head  man  he  would  not 
inform  me,  till  I  told  him  to  try  and  speak  like  a  man ;  he  then 
told  us  that  the  first  Lobemba  chief  was  Motuna,  and  the  next 
Chafunga.  We  have  nothing,  as  we  saw  no  animals  in  our  way 
hither,  and  hunger  is  ill  to  bear.  By  giving  Moerwa  a  good 
large  cloth  he  was  induced  to  cook  a  mess  of  maere  or  millet 
and  elephant's  stomach  ;  it  was  so  good  to  get  a  full  meal  that 
I  could  have  given  him  another  cloth,  and  the  more  so  as  it  was 
accompanied  by  a  message  that  he  would  cook  more  next  day 
and  in  larger  quantity.  On  inquiring  next  evening  he  said  '  the 
man  had  told  lies,'  he  had  cooked  nothing  more :  he  was  prone 
to  lie  himself,  and  was  a  rather  bad  specimen  of  a  chief. 

'•'  While  resting  en  route  for  Chitemba's,  who  it  was  reported 
had  successfully  resisted  the  Mazitu,  Moerwa,  with  all  his  force 
of  men,  women,  and  dogs,  came  up,  on  his  way  to  hunt  elephants. 
The  men  were  furnished  with  big  spears,  and  their  dogs  are  used 
to  engage  the  animal's  attention  while  they  spear  it ;  the  women 
cook  the  meat  and  make  huts,  and  a  smith  goes  with  them  to 
mend  any  spear  that  may  be  broken." 

Continuing  their  journey  over  level  plateaux  on  which  the 
roads  are  wisely  placed,  they  hardly  realized  that  they  were 
travelling  in  a  mountainous  region.  It  was  all  covered  with 
dense  forest,  which  in  many  cases  is  pollarded,  from  being  cut 
for  bark  cloth  or  for  hunting  purposes.  Masuko  fruit  abounds. 
From  the  cisalpinos  and  gum-copal  trees  bark  cloth  is  made. 


498  A   BEAUTIFUL   SPIRIT. 

They  now  came  to  large  masses  of  hematite,  wliic]j  was  often 
ferruginous:  there  was  conglomerate  too,  many  quartz  pebbles 
being  intermixed.  "It  seems/'  says  Livingstone,  "as  if  when 
the  lakes  existed  in  the  lower  lands  the  higher  levels  gave  forth 
great  quantities  of  water  from  chalybeate  fountains,  which  de- 
posited this  iron  ore."  Gray  granite  or  quartz  with  talc  in  it 
was  discovered  under  the  hsematitc. 

Of  this  region  the  doctor  writes :  ''  The  forest  resounds  with 
singing  birds,  intent  on  nidification.  Francolins  abound,  but 
ai'e  wild.  'Whip-poor-wills,'  and  another  bird,  which  has  a 
more  labored  treble  note  and  voice — '  Oh,  oh,  oh  ! '  Gay  flowers 
blush  unseen,  but  the  people  have  a  good  idea  of  what  is  eat- 
able and  what  not.  I  looked  at  a  woman's  basket  of  leaves 
which  she  had  collected  for  supper,  and  it  contained  eight  or  ten 
kinds,  with  mushrooms  and  orchidaceous  flowers.  We  have  a 
succession  of  showers  to-day,  from  northeast  and  east-northeast. 
We  are  uncertain  when  we  shall  come  to  a  village,  as  the  Babisa 
will  not  tell  us  where  they  are  situated.  In  the  evening  we 
encamped  beside  a  little  rill,  and  made  our  shelters,  but  we  had 
so  little  to  eat  that  I  dreamed  the  night  long  of  dinners  I  had 
eaten,  and  might  have  been  eating." 

Nothing  could  be  more  beautiful  than  the  beautiful  words 
which  follow  this  mention  of  the  bitter  want  which  was  wearing 
away  the  life  of  this  singularly  good  man — "I  shall  make  this 
beautiful  land  known,  which  is  an  essential  part  of  the  process 
by  which  it  will  become  the  '  pleasant  haunts  of  men.'  "  It  was 
Christ-like  truly  to  be  thus  able  to  find  sweet  consolation  in  the 
hope  of  others'  happiness.  We  are  prepared  for  the  words  which 
come  to  us  in  his  journal  on  December  31st:  "We  end  1866. 
It  has  not  been  so  fruitful  or  useful  as  I  intended.  Will  try  to 
do  better  in  1867,  and  be  better,  more  gentle  and  loving;  and 
may  the  Almighty,  to  whom  I  commit  ray  way,  bring  my  de-* 
sires  to  pass  and  prosper  me !  Let  all  the  sins  of  1866  be  blotted 
out  for  Jesus'  sake  ! "  How  the  great,  humble,  pure,  tender, 
loving  and  trusting  soul  shines  out  in  such  words!  Not  unlike 
it  is  the  journal  on  January  1st,  1867  :  "May  he  who  is  full  of 
grace  and  truth  impress  his  character  on  mine;  grace,  eagerness 
to  show  favor,  truth,  truthfulness,  sincerity,  honor,  for  his  mercy's 
sake!" 


MMMAjf^[',\ 


ELEPHANT   HUNTING.  501 

Being  obliged  to  renniin  on  account  of  a  threatened  set-in  rain, 
the  doctor  bought  a  scnzc  {aulocaudatus  swindcrnianus),  a  rat- 
looking  animal ;  he  was  glad  to  get  anything  in  the  shape  of 
meat. 

The  next  day  was  no  better,  and  the  few  lines  he  wrote  tell 
a  sad  story :  "  It  is  a  set-in  rain.  The  boiling-point  ther- 
mometer shows  an  altitude  of  three  thousand  five  hundred  and 
sixty-five  feet  above  the  sea.  Barometer,  three  thousand  nine 
hundr-ed  and  eighty-three  feet  ditto.  We  get  a  little  macro  here, 
and  prefer  it  to  being  drenched  and  our  goods  spoiled.  \Vc 
have  neither  sugar  nor  salt,  so  there  are  no  soluble  goods ;  but 
cloth  and  gunpowder  get  damaged  easily.  It  is  hard  fare  and 
scanty ;  I  feel  always  hungry,  and  am  constantly  dreaming  of 
better  food  when  I  should  be  sleeping.  Savory  viands  of  former 
times  come  vividly  up  before  the  imagination,  even  in  my  wak- 
ing hours;  this  is  rather  odd  as  I  am  not  a  dreamer;  indeed  I 
scarcely  ever  dream  but  when  I  am  going  to  be  ill  or  actually  so." 

They  were  now  on  the  northwestern  brim  of  the  great  Loangwa 
valley.  The  rainy  season,  which  had  fully  set  in,  is  the  harvest 
time  for  the  expert  hunters  of  the  country.  The  ground  soon 
becomes  exceedingly  boggy,  and  the  elephant,  taken  at  the  dis- 
advantage of  sinking  fifteen  to  eighteen  inches  in  soft  mud  every 
step  they  take,  falls  an  easy  prey  to  his  skilful  assailant.  This 
great  giant  of  the  forest  is  always  easily  confused,  as  we  know, 
by  the  packs  of  yelping  dogs.  The  hunters  of  this  valley  are 
doubly  secure  when  they  add  this  confusion  to  the  embarrass- 
ment of  bad  footing.  They  watch  their  time  and  run  up  behind 
the  elephant  and  with  a  single  blow  of  a  sharp  axe  hamstring 
him.  In  other  parts  of  the  country  the  method  of  hunting 
these  huge  monsters  is  more  perilous,  and  more  skilful  than 
with  spear,  axe  or  gun.  The  sword  figures  as  the  chosen  weapon. 
The  hunters  surround  the  animal,  and  eluding  all  his  assaults, 
while  near  enough  to  torment  him  greatly  with  their  sharp  and 
glittering  blades,  with  matchless  dexterity  succeed  in  dealing 
the  disabling  and  fatal  blows.  ]\Ir.  Baker,  who  witnessed  much 
of  this  sword  hunting,  declares  that  nothing  can  excel  the 
wonderful  skill  of  these  men. 

But  half  starved  and  full  of  pain,  his  whole  heart  set  on  the 
accomplishment  of  a  great  work,  Livingstone  thought  little  of 


502  TRIALS   AXD   HUNGER. 

the  sports  which  have  been  the  principal  charm  of  African  ex- 
ploration to  most  of  those  who  have  left  us  the  record  of  their 
journeys. 

It  was  the  Gth  of  January  before  he  could  continue  his  journey. 
As  he  advanced  the  land  was  more  than  ever  desolate ;  no  people 
except  at  wide  intervals,  and  even  the  animals  began  to  disap- 
pear. That  day  also  a  serious  misfortune  occurred ;  the  chro- 
nometers got  injured  by  being  dropped  by  the  boy  who  carried 
them.  No  food  was  to  be  had  ;  yet  the  country  was  beautiful. 
The  valley  had  the  appearance  of  beautiful  parks;  but  they 
were  all  full  of  water,  and  the  greatest  caution  was  needed  con- 
tinually to  avoid  falling  into  the  deep  waterholes  made  by  the 
feet  of  elephants  or  buffaloes. 

His  own  language  will  tell  us  most  touchingly  the  story  of 
those  days:  "In  the  ooze  generally  the  water  comes  half-way 
up  the  shoe,  and  we  go  plash,  plash,  plash,  in  the  lawn-like 
glade.  There  are  no  people  here  now  in  these  lovely  wild  val- 
leys ;  but  to-day  we  came  to  mounds  made  of  old  for  planting 
grain,  and  slag  from  iron  furnaces.  The  guide  was  rather 
offended  because  lie  did  not  get  meat  and  meal,  though  he  is 
accustomed  to  leaves  at  home,  and  we  had  none  to  give  except 
by  wanting  ourselves :  he  found  a  mess  without  much  labor  in 
the  forest.  My  stock  of  meal  came  to  an  end  to-day,  but  Simon 
gave  me  some  of  his.  It  is  not  the  unpleasantness  of  eating 
unpalatable  food  that  teases  one,  but  we  are  never  satisfied ;  I 
could  brace  myself  to  dispose  of  a  very  unsavory  mess,  and  think 
no  more  about  it ;  but  this  maere  engenders  a  craving  which 
plagues  day  and  night  incessantly. 

"  We  crossed  the  Muasi,  flowing  strongly  to  the  east  to  the 
Loangwa  river,  on  the  morning  of  the  10th,  and  in  the  after- 
noon an  excessively  heavy  thunder-storm  wetted  us  all  to  the 
skin  before  any  shelter  could  be  made.  Two  of  our  men 
wandered,  and  other  two  remained  behind  lost,  as  our  track 
was  washed  out  by  the  rains.  The  country  is  a  succession  of 
enormous  waves,  all  covered  with  jungle,  and  no  traces  of 
paths;  we  were  in  a  hollow,  and  our  firing  was  not  heard  till 
this  morning,  when  we  ascended  a  heiglit  and  were  answered. 
I  am  thankful  that  no  one  was  lost,  for  a  man  might  wander  a 
long  time  before  reaching  a  village.     Simon  gave  me  a  little 


DANGER   UNSEEN.  503 

more  of  liis  raeal  tliis  morning,  and  went  without  himself:  I 
took  my  belt  up  three  holes  to  relieve  hunger.  We  got  some 
wretched  wild  fruit  like  that  called  '  jambos '  in  India,  and  at 
midday  reached  the  village  of  Chafunga.  Famine  here  too,  but 
some  men  had  killed  an  elephant  and  came  to  sell  the  dried 
meat :  it  was  high,  and  so  were  their  prices ;  but  we  are  obliged 
to  give  our  best  to  escape  from  this  craving  hunger." 

Sitting  down  one  morning  near  a  tree  Dr.  Livingstone's 
head  was  just  one  yard  off  a  good-sized  cobra,  coiled  up  in  the 
sprouts  at  its  root,  but  it  was  benumbed  with  cold  :  a  very  pretty 
little  puff-adder  lay  in  the  path,  also  benumbed ;  it  is  seldom 
that  any  harm  is  done  by  these  reptiles  in  Africa,  although  it  is 
different  in  India.  They  bought  up  all  the  food  to  be  had, 
but  it  did  not  suffice  for  the  marches  they  expected  to  make  be- 
fore getting  to  the  Zambesi,  where  food  was  said  to  be  abun- 
dant, and  they  weje  therefore  again  obliged  to  travel  on  Sunday. 
"  But  althougli,"  says  the  doctor,  "  we  had  prayers  before  start- 
ing, I  always  feel  that  I  am  not  doing  right:  it  lessens  the 
sense  of  obligation  in  the  minds  of  my  companions ;  but  I  have 
no  choice."  They  went  along  a  rivulet  till  it  ended  in  a  small 
lake,  Maparapa  or  Chimbwe,  about  five  miles  long,  and  one  and 
a  half  broad,  of  which  we  find  this  note: 

"  We  had  to  cross  the  Chimbwe  at  its  eastern  end,  where  it 
is  fully  a  mile  wide.  The  guide  refused  to  show  another  and 
narrower  ford  up  the  stream,  which  emptied  into  it  from  the 
east;  and  I,  being  the  first  to  cross,  neglected  to  give  oixlers 
about  the  poor  little  dog,  Chitane.  The  water  was  waist  deep, 
the  bottom  soft  peaty  stuff  with  deep  hples  in  it,  and  the 
northern  side  infested  by  leeches.  The  boys  were,  like  myself, 
all  too  much  engaged  Avith  preserving  their  balance  to  think 
of  the  spirited  little  beast,  and  he  must  have  swam  till  he  sunk. 
He  was  so  useful  in  keeping  all  the  country  curs  off  our  huts; 
none  dai'e  to  approach  and  steal,  and  he  never  stole  himself. 
He  shared  the  staring  of  the  people  with  his  master ;  then  in 
the  march  he  took  charge  of  the  whole  party,  running  to  the 
front,  and  again  to  the  rear,  to  see  that  all  was  right.  He  was 
becoming  yellowish-red  in  color;  and,  poor  thing,  perished  in 
what  the  boys  all  call  Chitane's  water." 

During  the   delays  caused   by  the  severe  rains   the  doctor 


504  A   DREADFUL    LOSS. 

worked  out  the  longitude  of  the  mountain  station  said  to  be 
Mpini,  but  he  thought  it  better  to  name  it  Chitane's,  as  he 
could  not  get  the  name  from  his  maundering  guide,  who  proba- 
bly did  not  know  it.     Lat.  11°9'  2"  S. ;  long.  32°  V  30"  E. 

Altitude  above  sea  (barometer)  5353  feet. 

Altitude  above  sea  (boiling  point)      5385  feet. 

Diffi     32  feet. 

Destitution  continued;  there  was  nothing  but  famine  and 
famine  prices,  the  people  living  on  mushrooms  and  leaves.  Of 
these  mushrooms  it  is  interesting  to  know  that  there  are  a  num- 
ber of  sorts,  out  of  which  the  people  choose  five  or  six,  rejecting 
the  others.  One  species  becomes  as  large  as  the  crown  of  a 
man's  hat;  it  is  pure  white,  with  a  blush  of  brown  in  the 
middle  of  the  crown,  and  is  very  good  roasted ;  it  is  named 
Motenta;  another,  Mofeta;  3d,  Bosefwe;  4th,  Nakabausa;  5th, 
Chisimbe,  lobulated,  green  outside,  and  pink  and  fleshy  inside. 

About  this  time  an  incident  occurred  which  was  received  by 
Dr.  Livingstone  as  perhaps  the  greatest  misfortune  he  had  ever 
experienced.     His  own  version  of  it  is  as  follows : 

"A  guide  refused,  so  we  marched  without  one.  The  two 
Waiyau,  who  joined  us  at  Kandc's  village,  now  deserted. 
They  had  been  very  faithful  all  the  way,  and  took  our  part 
in  every  case.  Knowing  the  language  well,  they  were  ex- 
tremely useful,  and  no  one  thought  that  they  would  desert, 
for  they  were  free  men — their  masters  had  been  killed  by  the 
Mazitu — and  this  circumstance,  and  their  uniform  good  conduct, 
made  us  trust  them  more  than  we  should  have  done  any  others 
who  had  been  slaves.  But  they  left  us  in  the  forest,  and  heavy 
rain  came  on,  which  obliterated  every  vestige  of  their  footsteps. 
To  make  the  loss  the  more  galling,  they  took  what  we  could 
least  spare — the  medicine-box,  which  they  would  only  throw 
away  as  soon  as  they  came  to  examine  their  booty.  One  of 
these  deserters  exchanged  his  load  that  morning  with  a  boy 
called  Baraka,  who  had  charge  of  the  medicine-box,  because  he 
was  so  careful.  This  was  done  because  with  the  medicine-chest 
were  packed  five  large  cloths  and  all  Baraka's  clothing  and 
beads,  of  which  he  was  very  careful.     The  Waiyau  also  offered 


DISTRESSING  HUNGER.  ^  505 

to  carry  this  burden  a  stage  to  help  Baraka,  while  he  gave  his 
own  load,  in  which  there  was  no  cloth,  in  exchange.  The 
forest  was  so  dense  and  high  there  was  no  chance  of  getting  a 
glimpse  of  tiie  fugitives,  who  took  all  the  dishes,  a  large  box  of 
powder,  the  flour  we  had  purchased  dearly  to  help  us  as  far  as 
the  Zambesi,  the  tools,  two  guns,  and  a  cartridge-pouch ;  but 
the  medicine-chest  was  the  sorest  loss  of  all !  I  felt  as  if  I  had 
now  received  the  sentence  of  death,  like  poor  Bishop  Mackenzie." 

He  was  prepared  for  losses  and  all  manner  of  discourage- 
ments ;  but  such  a  loss  as  this  cast  a  shadow  over  his  ordinarily 
buoyant  soul.  And  yet  he  did  not  murmur.  "  Everything  of 
this  kind,"  says  he,  "  happens  by  the  permission  of  one  who 
watches  over  us  with  most  tender  care ;  and  this  may  turn  out 
for  the  best,  by  taking  away  a  source  of  suspicion  among  more 
superstitious  charm-dreading  people  farther  north.  I  meant  it 
as  a  source  of  benefit  to  my  party  and  other  heathen." 

All  their  efforts  to  find  the  Waiyau  were  in  vain.  We  can- 
not appreciate  the  feelings  of  one  so  far  away  from  friends,  so 
entirely  dependent  on  himself,  under  God,  in  an  hour  of  such 
misfortune.  Yet  he  found  it  in  his  heart  to  make  many  ex- 
cuses for  the  men  who  had  robbed  him  so  seriously.  The  loss 
must  be  endured. 

The  want  of  food  and  continuous  rains  greatly  hindered 
them,  but  they  were  now  drawing  near  the  Zambesi ;  the 
streams  which  they  crossed  were  all  flowing  northwest  toward 
that  great  river,  and  all  the  reports  were,  that  beyond  it,  in  the 
immediate  territory  of  the  paramount  chief,  there  was  plen.ty  of 
food.  This  hope  renewed  their  flagging  energies.  Livingstone 
was  not  thinking  of  nice  dishes,  but  real,  biting  hunger  was 
torturing  him.  This  was  partly'  relieved  at  Moaba,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Movushi.  But  the  cloth — which  was  their  main 
dependence  as  currency — was  of  little  value  here,  as  indeed  it 
Avas  in  all  the  upland  country,  where  the  bark  cloth  is  so  abun- 
dant. But  fortunately  there  was  a  demand  for  beads,  and  for- 
tunately, too,  they  had  some  of  these.  It  may  be  interesting 
for  the  reader  to  know  something  about  this  important  item  of 
currency  all  through  Africa. 

"  With  a  few  exceptions  they  are  all  manufactured  in  Venice. 
The  greatest  care  must  be  exercised,  or  the  traveller — ignorant 


506  CURRENCY   OF   AFRICA. 

of  the  prevailing  fashion  in  the  country  he  is  about  to  explore 
— finds  himself  with  an  accumulation  of  beads  of  no  more  value 
than  tokens  would  be  if  tendered  in  this  country  for  coin  of  the 
realm.  The  Waiyau  prefer  exceedingly  small  beads,  the  size 
of  mustard  seed,  and  of  various  colors,  but  they  must  be  opaque: 
amongst  them  dull  white  chalk  varieties,  called  '  Catchokolo/ 
are  valuable,  besides  black  and  pink,  named,  respectively, 
*Bububu'  and  'Sekundereche'  =  the  'dregs  of  Pombe.'  One 
red  bead,  of  various  sizes,  which  has  a  white  centre,  is  always 
valuable  in  every  part  of  Africa.  It  is  called  'Samisami'  by 
the  Suahele,  'Chitakaraka'  by  the  Waiyau,  'Mangazi'  = 
'  blood'  by  the  Nyassa,  and  was  found  popular  even  amongst  the 
Manyuema,  under  the  name  of '  Masokantussi '  =  'bird's  eyes.' 
Whilst  speaking  of  this  distant  tribe,  it  is  interesting  to  observe 
that  one  peculiar  long  bead,  recognized  as  common  in  the  Man- 
yuema land,  is  only  sent  to  the  west  coast  of  Africa,  and  never 
to  the  east.  On  Chuma  pointing  to  it  as  a  sort  found  at  the 
extreme  limit  explored  by  Livingstone,  it  was  at  once  seen  that 
he  must  have  touched  that  part  of  Africa  which  begins  to  be 
within  the  reach  of  the  traders  in  the  Portuguese  settlements. 
'Machua  Kanga'  =  'guinea  fowl's  eyes,'  is  another  popular 
variety;  and  the  'Moiorapio'  =  'new  heart,'  a  large  pale  blue 
bead,  is  a  favorite  amongst  the  Wabisa ;  but  by  far  the  most 
valuable  of  all  is  a  small  white  oblong  bead,  which,  when 
strung,  looks  like  the  joints  of  the  cane  root,  from  which  it 
takes  its  name,  'Salani'  =  'cane.'  Susi  says  that  one  pound 
weight  of  these  beads  would  buy  a  tusk  of  ivory,  at  the  south 
end  of  Tanganyika,  so  big  that  a  strong  man  could  not  carry 
it  more  than  two  hours." 

At  last  the  banks  of  the  Zambesi  were  reached,  and  the 
weary,  hungry  party  took  lodging  in  a  temporary  deserted  vil- 
lage. This  was  January  26th.  They  were  detained  the  27th 
by  rains;  that  day  Dr.  Livingstone  wrote  in  his  journal : 

"  In  changing  my  dress  this  morning  I  was  frightened  at  my 
own  emaciation." 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 

FROM   LAKE  TO   LAKE. 

Chitapanga's  Stockade  —  An  Offering  Eequired — Audience  with  the  Chief- 
Ceremony  of  Introduction — Chitapanga  as  he  was — Some  Trouble — Lying 
Interpreters — Arab  Traders— Letters  Sent  Home— Quits  Chitapanga's — The 
Chiefs  Parting  Oath — Appearance  of  Country— Troublesome  Customs — Sus- 
picion of  the  Chiefs — A  Familiar  Trick —Eagerness  for  Trade — Moamba  at 
Home — Cliief  and  Judge — The  Moemba — The  Hopo — Bows  and  Arrows — 
I lluess—Ka.sonso'3  Reception— Assaulted  by  Ants— Cotton— Lake  Liemba — 
Palm  Oil  — The  Balungu  —  Severe  Illness — Arabs — Chitimba's  Village — A 
Long  Delay— Nsama— The  Baulungu — Industries— Cupping— Charms — Dull 
Life— Slave-Trade — Little  Things— A  Large  Spider— At  Hara — Reception  at 
Nsama's — A  Bride  in  Style  —  "Tipo  Tipo" — "  Kumba  Kumba" — Ituwa — 
Desertion— Slavery  Question— Different  Motives — Arabs  on  the  March — Arab 
Traders — A  Fantastic  Party — Potency  of  Sneers  in  Africa — Delays— Lake 
Moero  at  Last, 

On  the  31st  of  January  our  traveller  led  his  party  across  the 
Lopiri,  the  rivulet  which  waters  the  stockade  of  Chitapanga. 
This  was  quite  a  formidable-looking  structure.  Besides  a  triple 
stockade,  the  village  is  defended  by  a  deep,  broad  ditch,  and 
hedge  of  thorny  shrub. 

"the  messengers  from  the  great  chief  soon  approached  to  inquire 
if  the  traveller  desired  an  audience,  and  instructing  him  that 
their  custom  required  every  one  to  take  something  in  his  hand 
the  first  time  he  came  before  so  great  a  man  as  Chitapanga. 
Being  tired  from  marching,  Livingstone  deferred  his  visit  to  the 
chief  until  evening.  At  5  p.  m.  he  sent  notice  of  his  coming. 
Passing  through  the  inner  stockade  and  then  on  to  an  enormous 
hut,  he  entered  the  presence  of  the  chief.  His  Majesty  was 
seated  on  the  three-legged  stool,  which  is  one  of  the  peculiar 
institutions  of  the  country.  Near  him  were  three  drummers, 
beating  furiously,  and  ten  or  more  men  with  odd-looking  rattles 
in  their  hands,  with  which  they  kept  time  to  the  drums,  while 
seated  and  standing  all  about  in  the  background  were  hundreds 
of  eager  subjects  who  gazed  with  deepest  interest  on  the  reception. 
26  607 


508  RECEPTION   AT  CHITAPANGA. 

A  noticeable  feature  of  the  ceremony  was  the  regular  approach- 
ing and  receding  of  the  rattlers,  who  seemed  to  give  to  their  chief 
some  special  reverence  by  advancing  before  him  and  holding 
their  toy-looking  instruments  quite  near  the  ground,  while  they 
kept  up  still  with  the  drummers. 

Chitapanga  was  a  strongly-built  burly-looking  fellow,  with  a 
jolly,  laughing  face.  Livingstone  was  seated  on  a  huge  tusk, 
and  the  talk  began.  He  found  little  difficulty  in  interesting 
the  chief  in  those  things  which  he  had  to  tell,  and  was  treated 
with  a  respect  and  cordiality  which  impressed  him  very  favor- 
ably Avith  him.  "When  they  had  got  a  little  acquainted,  the 
chief  walked  with  his  visitor  toward  a  group  of  cows  and  with 
a  generous  air  pointed  out  one  and  said,  "  That  is  yours." 

Various  circumstances  conspired  to  protract  the  stay  of  Living- 
stone twenty  days  at  this  village.  Though  quite  favorably 
impressed  with  Chitapanga,  the  necessity  of  holding  all  his  inter- 
views through  others  gave  rise  to  serious  annoyances.  He  was 
particularly  troubled  and  vexed,  after  killing  the  cow  which 
had  been  given  him,  by  the  chief's  demanding  a  blanket  for  it. 
This  was  more  annoying  because  he  had  none  except  such  as 
belonged  to  the  men  who  were  with  him.  This  demand  was 
pressed,  however,  and  it  at  length  turned  out  that  one  of  the 
Nassick  lads,  who  had  acted  as  interpreter  at  their  interviews, 
had  not  stated  the  conversation  correctly.  The  chief  had  given 
the  cow,  expecting  a  blanket,  but  the  boy  had  said  to  Living- 
stone, "  he  says  you  may  give  him  any  little  thing  you  please." 
This  presumptuous  interference  of  interpreters  is  one  of  the  most 
serious  annoyances  of  travelling  in  any  country;  particularly  is 
it  so  in  Africa:  not  only  Dr.  Livingstone  but  many  travellers 
there  have  been  greatly  troubled  by  it. 

At  this  village  Livingstone  met  a  small  party  of  black  Arab 
slave-traders  from  Bagamoio,  on  the  coast  near  Zanzibar,  by 
whom  he  was  able  to  send  a  packet  of  letters,  which  reached 
England  safely  and  greatly  relieved  the  public  mind  concerning 
the  great  traveller,  who  had  been  reported  dead  by  Musa  after 
he' had  so  heartlessly  desertal  him  near  Nyassa.  These  Arab 
traders  had  come  into  the  country  by  a  ranch  nearer  route :  a 
route  too  which  was  full  of  villages  and  people  who  have  plenty 
of  goats.     By  these  men  Dr.  Livingstone  ordered  another  supply 


THE  PARTING  OATH.  '  511 

of  cloth  and  beads  and  a  small  quantity  of  coffee  and  sugar, 
candles,  preserved  meats,  etc.,  with  some  medicines,  to  be  sent 
to  Ujiji. 

Little  else  occurred  during  the  stay  with  Chitapanga  worthy 
of  special  mention.  The  frequent  returns  of  illness  were  nothing 
uncommon  now.  It  was  sad  indeed  to  be  so  great  a  sufferer, 
and  deprived  of  the  relief  which  he  could  have  found  in  his 
medicine  box.  We  cannot  imagine  a  more  painful  experience 
than  the  consciousness  of  failing  health  in  a  far  away  heathen 
land  without  a  single  remedy  at  hand. 

At  length,  afler  repeated  misunderstandings  and  compromises 
with  Chitapanga,  all  growing  out  of  the  unpardonable  inter- 
ference of  the  boys,  who  presumed  to  interpret  the  conversation 
according  to  their  ideas  of  what  it  was  best  should  be  said,  Dr. 
Livingstone  prepared  to  leave  on  the  20th  of  February,  1867. 
He  says : 

"February  20, 1867. — I  told  the  chief  before  starting  that  my 
heart  was  sore  because  he  was  not  sending  me  away  so  cordially 
as  I  liked.  He  at  once  ordered  men  to  start  with  us,  and  gave 
me  a  brass  knife  with  ivory  sheath,  which  he  had  long  worn  as 
a  memorial.  He  explained  that  we  ought  to  go  north  as,  if  we 
made  easting,  we  should  ultimately  be  obliged  to  turn  west,  and 
all  our  cloth  would  be  expended  ere  w^e  reached  the  Lake  Tan- 
ganyika ;  he  took  a  piece  of  clay  off  the  ground  and  rubbed  it 
on  his  tongue  as  an  oath  that  what  he  said  was  true,  and  came 
along  with  us  to  see  that  all  was  right ;  and  so  we  parted." 

His  route  lay  still  almost  due  north  through  the  countries  of 
the  Babema  and  the  Balungu.  The  whole  country,  he  says,  can 
be  no  better  described  than  as  one  vast  forest.  "  Rocks  abound 
of  the  same  domolite  kind  as  on  the  ridge  farther  south,  between 
the  Loangwa  and  Zambesi,  covered,  like  them,  with  lichens, 
orchids,  euphorbias,  and  upland  vegetation,  hard-leaved  acacias, 
rhododendrons,  masukos.  The  gum-copal  tree,  when  perforated 
by  a  grub,  exudes  fi'ora  branches  no  thicker  than  one's  arm, 
masses  of  soft,  gluey-looking  gum,  brownish  yellow,  and  light 
gray,  as  much  as  would  fill  a  soup-plate.  It  seems  to  yield  tJiis 
gum  only  in  the  rainy  season,  and  now  all  the  trees  are  full  of 
sap  and  gum." 

This  march  was  inaugurated  in  unmistakable  fashion.     The 


512  THE   REAL   DIFFICULTY. 

night  of  February  20th  was  overcast  with  black  clouds,  and 
heavy  thunder  rolled  about  them  and  drenching  rain  beat 
throuo-h  the  huts  and  flooded  the  roads.  Here,  as  elsewhere  in 
Africa,  there  are  customs  which  greatly  hinder  and  annoy  the 
traveller.  The  people  are  suspicious  and  ignorant,  and  it  is 
necessary,  particularly  when  one  is  almost  entirely  unprotected, 
as  Dr.  Livingstone  now  was,  to  be  exceedingly  careful.  The 
delays  attending  the  formal  civilities  which  every  petty  chief 
either  demands  shall  be  shown  him  or  desires  to  show  the 
stranger  are  pleasant  enough  in  their  way,  but  are  exceedingly 
vexatious  when  a  man  is  sick  and  weary  and  anxiously  pressing 
for  a  certain  place.  It  was  almost  impossible  to  impress  on  the 
chiefs  that  no  selfish  purposes  were  to  be  subserved  by  the  journey 
through  their  country.  This  was  really  the  great  difficulty :  they 
generally  held  to  the  conviction  that  a  man  who  had  been  at 
the  trouble  of  penetrating  their  country  must  expect  some  great 
gains,  and,  naturally  enough,  thought  they  ought  to  be  benefited 
also  by  his  presence.  It  is  indeed  "  almost  too  ridiculous  to  be- 
lieve," but  so  it  was.  When  Livingstone  assured  the  "great 
chief,"  Chitapanga,  that  the  public  benefit  only  was  sought  by 
his  journey,  that  distinguished  gentleman,  with  the  most  know- 
ing laugh,  pulled  down  the  underlid  of  the  right  eye,  after  the 
most  approved  gesture  of  our  school-boys  when  they  say,  "  Do 
you  see  anything  green?"  It  was  just  so  with  his  neighbors. 
Moamba,  whose  village  was  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Merenge, 
had  the  same  difficulty.  He  was  generous  and  good-humored  ; 
was,  like  Chitapanga,  very  much  interested  in  the  books  and 
instruments  that  were  shown  him,  and  quite  curious  about  the 
worship  of  the  Englishman,  but  could  hardly  be  reconciled  to 
his  declining  to  buy  ivory  or  slaves.  "  He  was  very  anxious," 
says  Livingstone,  "to  know  why  we  were  going  to  Tanganyika ; 
for  what  we  came ;  what  we  should  buy  there ;  and  if  I  had  any 
relations  there.  He  then  showed  me  some  fine  large  tusks,  eight 
feet  six  in  length.  '  What  do  you  wish  to  buy,  if  not  slaves  or 
ivory? '  I  replied,  that  the  only  thing  I  had  seen  worth  buying 
was  a  fine  fat  chief  like  him,  as  a  specimen,  and  a  woman 
feeding  him,  as  he  had,  with  beer.  He  was  tickled  at  this ;  and 
said  that  when  we  reached  our  country  I  must  put  fine  clothes 
on  him." 


REMARKABLE  SALUTATION.  513 

The  chiefs  in  this  section  were  found  to  be  much  resjKJcted  by 
tlieir  subjects,  though  they  do  not  enforce  their  obedience  as 
positively  perhaps  as  would  accord  with  our  ideas  of  govern- 
ment. Livingstone  witnessed  a  specimen  of  litigation  in  which 
the  parties  argued  their  case  before  Moamba.  His  Majesty 
occupied  the  post  of  honor  with  great  gravity.  One  old  man 
argued  his  case  an  hour,  and  was  heard  with  great  patience. 
After  they  had  ended  their  speeches,  the  chief  delivered  his  de- 
cision in  five  minutes.  There  were  features  of  this  proceeding 
which  would  doubtless  disturb  the  solemnity  of  an  American 
tribunal.  For  instance,  when  our  attorney  would  say,  "  may  it 
please  your  honor,"  the  Babema  orator  turns  his  back  on  the 
judge  and  stretching  liimself  on  the  ground  claps  his  hands 
loudly.  This  was  indeed  a  common  mode  of  salutation,  remind- 
ing the  reader  perhaps  of  that  noticed  among  the  Batoka.  The 
Mobemba  displayed  much  more  independence  than  the  more 
southern  tribes.  They  all  go  equipped  with  their  bows  and 
arrows  and  are  decidedly  warlike.  And  the  trophies  from  the 
Mazitu  which  are  frequently  seen  lianging  about  their  villages 
indicate  very  clearly  that  those  bold  depredators  do  not  find  such 
easy  work  as  in  other  regions. 

They  are  industrious  too,  and  are  well  supplied  with  the  com- 
forts of  African  life.  INIuch  tobacco  was  noticed  growing  about 
the  villages,  and  great  quantities  of  splendid  copper  wire  is 
manufactured.  All  sorts  of  animals  abound  in  their  country, 
but  they  M'ere  exceedingly  wild,  as  they  are  generally  where 
bows  and  arrows  are  in  common  use.  Here  too,  besides  this 
effectual  weapon,  the  hopo  wages  war  on  the  game,  and  every- 
thing is  taught  the  fear  of  man. 

After  parting  with  Moamba,  Livingstone  continued  his  north- 
ward journey,  and  ascended  the  Losauswa  ridge,  which  is  j^rob- 
ably  tlie  watershed  between  the  streams  flowing  southward  to 
the  Zambesi  and  those  flowing  north  towards  Tanganyika ; 
and,  without  special  incident,  crossed  a  country  watered  by 
various  rivers  and  dotted  with  stockaded  villages,  where  numerous 
herds  of  goats  were  carefully  attended  by  boys,  and  the  usual 
gardens  and  patches  were  to  be  seen  everywhere,  almost  lost  in 
the  prevailing  forest.  His  health  was  sadly  affected  by  the  toil 
and  unrelished  diet.     On  the  12th  of  March  he  reached  the  vil- 


%1^  ON  god's  ground. 

lage  of  Chiwe,  among  the  Balungu.  Speaking  of  his  condition, 
he  says :  "  I  have  been  ill  of  fever  ever  since  we  left  Moamba's ; 
every  step  I  take  jars  in  the  chest,  and  I  am  very  weak ;  I  can 
scarcely  keep  up  the  march,  though  formerly  I  was  always  first, 
and  had  to  hold  in  my  pace  not  to  leave  the  people  altogether. 
I  have  a  constant  singing  in  the  ears,  and  can  scarcely  hear  the 
loud  tick  of  the  chronometers.  The  appetite  is  good,  but  we 
have  no  proper  food,  chiefly  maere  meal  or  beans,  or  mapemba 
or  ground-nuts,  rarely  a  fowl." 

This  village,  like  them  all,  was  surrounded  by  a  strong 
stockade,  and  on  the  banks  of  a  stream.  The  chiefs  were 
generally  anxious  that  he  should  come  into  their  villages  and 
occupy  a  hut;  but  this  was  found  exceedingly  unpleasant; 
within  the  stockade  the  people  seemed  to  think  the  stranger  on 
their  ground,  and  considered  themselves  at  liberty  to  be  rather 
over-familiar;  they  would  crowd  about  the  door  of  his  hut  and 
it  was  absolutely  impossible  to  have  a  moment  of  quiet  or  privacy. 
Besides  this  impudence,  these  huts  were  frequently  the  abode  of 
certain  detestable  creatures  who  never  vacate  for  a  visitor,  but 
seize  the  occasion  of  his  presence  for  a  regular  carnival.  Living- 
stone had  a  natural  weakness  against  being  eaten  by  bugs,  and 
generally  insisted  on  erecting  his  own  hut  or  pitching  his  tent 
on  "  God's  ground  "  outside.  There  he  was  considered  as  en- 
tirely independent,  and  escaped  the  prying  eyes  of  the  people 
and  the  midnight  depredations  of  the  bugs. 

Among  the  prominent  peculiarities  by  Avhich  the  Balungu  are 
distinguished  were  three  or  four  little  knobs  on  the  temples,  with 
which  they  sought  to  improve  on  nature,  while  the  lobes  of 
their  ears  are  distended  by  a  piece  of  wood  ornamented  with 
beads,  and  bands  of  beads  were  stretched  across  the  forehead 
and  hold  up  the  hair.  Livingstone  did  not  pause  long  to  enjoy 
the  hospitality  or  study  the  distinctions  of  these  tribes ;  he  was 
sick,  and  pressed  on  for  the  village  of  Kasonso  and  the  Lake 
Liemba.  It  was  evident  that  ho  was  on  the  watershed,  but  the 
streams  seemed  to  bo  running  every  way,  and  the  natives  were 
utterly  ignorant  of  the  geography  of  the  country.  In  other 
times,  when  the  blood  was  bounding  freely  through  his  veins, 
he  would  have  been  charmed  by  the  beauty  of  the  numerous 
valleys  which  he  crossed  in  rapid  succession,  with  their  innuracr- 


A  MIDNIGHT   ENCOUNTER.  515 

able  streams,  where  splendid  trees  were  waving  their  boughs 
above  the  elegant  green  sward ;  but  he  was  parched  with  fever 
and  could  only  drag  himself  along.  It  is  worth  remembering, 
however,  that  he  noticed  that  nearly  all  the  valleys  he  crossed 
inclined  to  the  Lofu,  which  receives  their  tributaries  for  the 
lake. 

On  the  20th  of  March  he  entered  the  village  of  Kasonso, 
situated  in  a  lovely  valley  at  the  confluence  of  two  streams. 
This  chief  received  him  very  cordially,  and  stood  a  long  while 
shaking  his  hand;  Kasonso  gave  him  a  grand  reception,  but 
another  experience  which  made  perhaps  a  more  lasting  rece[)tion 
awaited  him  in  the  hut  where  he  sought  repose.  The  reader 
has  not  forgotten  the  a7i^5  which  assaulted  the  doctor  in  Angola: 
he  may  imagine  the  consternation  when  about  midnight  he  was 
aroused  by  the  unconscionable  ravages  of  their  counterparts 
here  in  the  town  of  Kasonso.  The  sufferer,  who  ought  to  be 
competent  to  tell  the  story,  declares  it  impossible  to  describe  the 
attack.  He  wakened  covered  with  them ;  his  hair  was  full  of 
them ;  one  by  one  they  cut  into  the  flesh,  and  the  more  they 
were  disturbed  the  more  vicious  became  their  biting ;  he  fled 
from  the  hut,  but  in  vain :  they  were  everywhere,  they  had  him 
from  head  to  foot,  and  were  resolved  on  taking  their  own  time. 

Near  the  lake  there  was  found  large  cotton-bushes  of  the 
South  American  kind.  The  people  were  clothed  in  skins  of 
goats  and  wild  animals,  but  the  patterns  were  more  scant,  if 
possible,  than  in  other  sections ;  the  kilts  of  the  women  were 
especially  diminutive.  At  least  one  object  of  his  desire  was  now 
about  attained :  "  On  the  morning  of  the  1st  of  April,"  says 
he,  "  we  went  along  a  low  ridge  of  hills  at  its  lowest  part,  and 
soon  after  passing  the  summit  the  blue  water  loomed  through 
the  trees.  I  was  detained,  but  soon  heard  the  boys  firing  their 
muskets  on  reaching  the  edge  of  the  ridge,  which  allowed  an 
undisturbed  view." 

At  last  he  had  reached  the  southeastern  end  of  Liemba,  or 
Tanganyika.  They  had  still  to  descend  two  tiiousand  feet  before 
reaching  the  level  of  the  lake.  It  seemed  to  be  about  eighteen  or 
twenty  miles  broad,  and  we  could  see  about  thirty  miles  up  to 
the  north.  Four  considerable  rivers  flow  into  the  space  before 
us.     The  nearly  perpendicular  ridge  of  about  two  thousand  feet 


516  LAKE  LIEMBA. 

extends  with  breaks  all  around,  and  there,  embosomed  in  tree- 
covered  rocks,  reposes  the  lake  peacefully  in  the  huge  cup-shaped 
cavity. 

"  I  never  saw,"  continues  the  great  traveller,  who  had  looked 
on  so  many  lovely  scenes,  "  anything  so  still  and  peaceful  as  it 
lies  all  the  morning.  About  noon  a  gentle  breeze  springs  up, 
and  causes  the  waves  to  assume  a  bluish  tinge.  Several  rocky 
islands  rise  in  the  eastern  end,  which  are  inhabited  by  fisher- 
men, who  capture  abundance  of  fine  large  fish,  of  Avhich  they 
enumerate  about  twenty-four  species.  In  the  north  it  seems  to 
narrow  into  a  gateway,  but  the  people  are  miserably  deficient 
in  geographical  knowledge,  and  can  tell  us  nothing  about  it. 
They  suspect  us,  and  we  cannot  get  information,  or  indeed  much 
of  anything  else.  I  feel  deeply  thankful  at  having  got  so  far. 
I  am  excessively  weak — cannot  walk  without  tottering,  and 
have  constant  singing  in  the  head,  but  the  Highest  will  lead  me 
farther."  And  after  being  two  weeks  by  it  he  writes  again  : 
'''This  lake  still  appears  as  one  of  surpassing  loveliness.  Its 
peacefulness  is  remarkable,  though  at  times  it  is  said  to  be  lashed 
up  by  storms.  It  lies  in  a  deep  basin  whose  sides  are  nearly 
perpendicular,  but  covered  well  with  trees ;  the  rocks  which 
appear  are  bright  red  argillaceous  schist ;  the  trees  at  present 
all  green :  down  some  of  these  rocks  come  beautiful  cascades, 
and  buffaloes,  elephants,  and  antelopes  wander  and  graze  on  the 
more  level  spots,  while  lions  roar  by  night.  The  level  place 
below  is  not  two  miles  from  the  perpendicular." 

Sick  as  lie  was  he  could  not  be  satisfied  with  only  the  general 
knowledge,  as  we  see  by  the  following,  extracted  also  from  his 
''Last  Journal :  "  "Latitude  of  the  spot  we  touched  at  first,  2d 
April,  18G7— Lat.  8°  46'  5-i"  S.,  long.  31'  57";  but  I  only 
worked  out  (and  my  head  is  out  of  order)  one  set  of  observations. 
Height  above  level  of  the  sea  over  two  thousand  eight  hundred 
ihet,  by  boiling-point  thermometers  and  barometer." 

It  may  be  noticed  that  the  figures  of  Dr.  Livingstone  diifer 
with  those  of  Speke,  who  made  tiiis  lake  eighteen  hundred  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  doctor  explained  to  Mr.  Stanley 
that  he  was  satisfied  that  Speke  wrote  eighteen  hundred  only 
by  mistake  through  the  habit  of  putting  A.  d.  1800.  He  made 
his  examination,  knowing  Speke's  observation,  and  found  tbe 


THE   LAKE   PEOPLE.  519 

real  heiglit  above  tlie  sea  to  bo,  as  lie  puts  it,  two  thousand  eight 
hundred  feet. 

Tlie  little  village  at  whieh  he  first  touched  the  lake  was  sur- 
rounded by  real  west  coast  palm-oil  trees,  requiring  two  men 
to  carry  a  bunch  of  ripe  fruit.  Notwithstanding  great  weakness, 
the  unyielding  man  spent  the  time  as  diligently  as  possible  exam- 
ining the  region.  The  people  called  themselves  Balungu,  but 
they  had  not  the  bold  independent  bearing  of  those  of  that 
name  among  whom  Livingstone  had  so  lately  passed.  And 
their  numbers  had  been  sadly  reduced  by  the  Mazitu,  who  are 
constantly  carrying  off  their  women  and  children.  They  seem 
themselves,  too,  to  have  caught  the  slaving  spirit,  and  to  have 
come  to  admire  their  destroyers.  That  is  surely  the  deepest  de- 
gradation, the  most  absolute  and  irredeemable  slavery,  out  of 
which  a  man  gazes  with  admiration  on  the  power  which  op- 
presses him,  and  wears  with  pride  the  chain  which  binds  him. 
God  save  a  fallen  people  from  the  grace  of  a  contentment  which 
dispenses  with  hope ;  from  a  submission  which  kisses  the  yoke, 
while  it  forgets  the  galling.  "As  a  people,"  says  Livingstone, 
"they  are  all  excessively  polite.  The  clapping  of  hands  on 
meeting  is  something  excessive,  and  then  the  string  of  saluta- 
tions that  accompany  it  would  please  the  most  fastidious  French- 
man. It  implies  real  politeness,  for  in  marching  with  them 
they  always  remove  branches  out  of  the  path,  and  indicate 
stones  or  stumps  in  it  carefully  to  a  stranger,  yet  we  cannot  pre- 
vail on  them  to  lend  carriers  to  examine  the  lake,  or  to  sell 
goats,  of  which,  however,  they  have  very  few,  and  all  on  one 
island." 

It  is  mentioned  that  weeds  were  observed  floating  northwards 
on  the  lake.  Mention  is  also  made  of  various  rivers,  flowing 
northeast  and  northwest,  entering  the  southern  part  of  the 
lake.  The  Lonzua,  the  Kowe,  the  Kapala,  the  Luaze,  and  the 
Kalambwe,  flow  into  it  near  the  east  end,  and  the  Lovu,  or 
Lofubu,  or  Lofu,  from  the  southwest.  The  doctor  reasoned 
tiiat  there  must  be  an  exit  somewhere  for  such  volumes  of  water. 

We  need  not  follow  the  curious  traveller  up  and  down  the 
steep  mountain  sides  as  he  wandered  about  the  shores  of  the 
lake ;  his  journal  for  these  days  supplies  little  more  than  the 
names  of  the  villages  which  he  passed. 


520  THE  SKY  DARKENS. 

He  did  not  attempt  to  explore  this  region  very  extensively  at 
this  time,  knowing  that  he  would,  if  spared  to  reach  Ujiji,  be 
again  on  its  shores,  and  indeed  on  its  beautiful  surface.  He 
was  suffering  very  severely  all  the  time ;  twice  he  was  seized 
with  most  distressing  fits  of  insensibility,  in  which  he  was  en- 
tirely helpless.  On  one  of  these  occasions  he  says :  "  I  found 
myself  floundering  outside  my  hut  and  unable  to  get  in  ;  I  tried 
to  lift  myself  from  my  back  by  laying  hold  of  two  posts  at  the 
entrance,  but  when  I  got  nearly  upright  I  let  them  go,  and  fell 
back  heavily  on  my  head  on  a  box.  The  boys  had  seen  the 
wretched  state  I  was  in,  and  hung  a  blanket  at  the  entrance  of 
the  hut,  that  no  stranger  might  see  my  helplessness ;  some  hours 
elapsed  before  I  could  recognize  where  I  was." 

On  the  20th  of  May,  1867,  we  find  him  at  Chitimba's 
village,  about  thirty  miles  southwest  from  the  southeastern 
shore  of  the  lake,  with  his  heart  set  on  reaching  Lake  Moero. 
He  had  come  to  this  village  particularly  because  it  was  at 
present  the  head-quarters  of  a  large  party  of  Arabs,  who  he  had 
heard  were  in  a  dispute  with  the  powerful  chief  ruling  the  Avide 
expanse  of  country  which  must  be  crossed  between  the  Lakes 
Liemba  and  Moero.  The  news  of  this  difficulty  had  weighed 
considerably  to  check  his  advances  down  the  Liemba,  for  it 
would  certainly  have  been  exceedingly  unsafe  for  him  to  have 
attempted  a  passage  through  the  territory  of  Nsama  under  the 
circumstances.  The  rumor  was,  that  Nsama's  son  was  killing 
all  the  Arabs  he  could  find,  in  revenge  for  some  wrong  that 
had  been  done  to  his  father's  people  by  them. 

The  Arabs  were  found  occupying  an  important  portion  of  the 
stockaded  village,  and  when  Dr.  Livingstone  arrived  he  was 
politely  shown  to  a  large  shed  where  they  were  in  the  habit  of 
meeting.  The  principal  man  of  tlie  party  was  Hamees  Wodira 
Tagh.  He  was  accompanied  by  Sydebin  Allebin  Mansurc. 
They  were  connected  w^ith  one  of  the  most  influential  native 
mercantile  houses  in  Zanzibar. 

When  the  doctor  had  explained  whence  he  had  come  he  showed 
the  letter  which  had  been  furnished  him  by  the  sultan  at  Zanzi- 
bar. He  was  treated  with  great  kindness.  Hamees  presented  a 
goat  and  a  quantity  of  flour,  and  such  other  commodities  as  he 
possessed,  but  it  was  next  to  impossible  to  get  at  the  truth  about 


GOOD  PICKING.  521 

the  difficulty.  There  were  various  versions  of  the  matter,  but 
one  thing  was  certain  :  there  had  been  a  disturbance  at  the  vil- 
lage of  Nsama,  between  the  people  of  that  chief  and  the  Arabs, 
and  several  on  each  side  had  been  killed,  and  all  was  now  con- 
fusion. Nsama  had  fled  from  his  village,  leaving  the  Arabs  in 
possession,  and  they  had  been  plundering  and  burning  all  the  sur- 
rounding villages,  while  Chitimba  had  sent  for  the  party  quar- 
tered here  to  come  to  him.  An  hour  or  two  after  Livingstone 
and  his  party  arrived  at  the  village  a  body  of  men  arrived  from 
Kasonso,  with  the  intention  of  proceeding  into  the  country  of 
Nsama,  if  possible  to  take  that  chief  prisoner  on  the  charge 
that  he  "  had  broken  the  public  law  by  attacking  people  who 
brought  merchandise  into  the  country,"  a  remark  which  hints 
of  something  that  seems  like  international  law  among  these 
barbarous  tribes. 

It  was  clear  that  there  could  be  nothing  else  but  a  long  delay 
DOW.  Four  weary  months  he  lay  here  waiting  on  the  tedious 
negotiations  between  these  two  parties,  which  was  a  most 
remarkable  succession  of  delays,  almost  every  day  seeming  to 
promise  an  immediate  settlement.  But  the  great  difficulty  was 
the  want  of  faith  in  Nsama,  who  it  was  believed  talked  peace- 
ably only  to  gain  time  and  get  advantage  of  his  adversaries. 
He  had  been  the  Napoleon  of  the  country,  and  had  held  his 
neighbor  chieftains  in  fear.  They  now  seemed  glad  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  his  overthrow,  or  discomfiture,  to  ravage  his  bordei-s, 
and  the  Arabs  too  were  not  over  anxious  to  give  up  immedi- 
ately such  good  picking  as  his  land  afforded.  So  it  is  not  im- 
probable that  while  Nsama's  warlike  propensities  were  in  the 
way  of  peace,  the  plundering  propensities  of  his  enemies  aided 
in  keeping  up  the  disturbance.  Meantime  Dr.  Livingstone  was 
satisfied  that  it  was  decidedly  best  for  him  to  wait,  rather  than 
either  give  up  seeing  Lake  Moero,  or  run  such  serious  risk  as  it 
must  have  been  to  attempt  to  go  there  under  the  circumstances. 

The  village  of  Chitimba  is  one  of  a  number  of  prominent 
villages,  whose  chiefs  divide  the  dominion  of  the  district  known 
among  the  Arabs  as  Urungu,  this  being  the  name  given  to 
the  region  surrounding  Lake  Liemba,  or  the  foot  of  Lake 
Tanganyika.  The  whole  region  is  mountainous,  and  many 
exceedingly  tortuous    rivers  water   its   beautiful   valley,    most 


522  THE   BAULUNGU. 

of  them  finding  their  way  ultimately  into  the  lake.  The 
calculations  of  Dr.  Livingstone  fixed  the  village  in  long.  30° 
19'  E.,  lat.  8°  67'  55"  S.     Of  the  people  the  doctor  says : 

"  The  Baulungu  men  are  in  general  tall  and  well  formed ; 
they  use  bows  over  six  feet  in  length,  and  but  little  bent.  The 
facial  angle  is  as  good  in  most  cases  as  in  Europeans,  and  they 
have  certainly  as  little  of  the  '  lark-heel '  as  the  whites.  One 
or  two  of  the  under  front  teeth  are  generally  knocked  out  in 
women,  and  also  in  men. 

"  Close  observation  of  them  makes  me  believe  them  to  be  ex- 
tremely polite.  The  mode  of  salutation  among  relatives  is  to 
place  the  hands  round  each  other's  chests  kneeling ;  they  then 
clap  their  hands  close  to  the  ground.  Some  more  alyect  indi- 
viduals kiss  the  soil  before  a  chief;  the  generality  kneel  only, 
with  the  fore-arms  close  to  the  ground,  and  the  head  bowed 
down  to  them,  saying,  *0  Ajadla  cliiusa,  Mari  a  bwino.'  The 
Usanga  say,  'Aje  senga.'  The  clapping  of  hands  to  superiors, 
and  even  equals,  is  in  some  villages  a  perpetually  recurring 
sound.  Aged  persons  are  usually  saluted.  How  this  extreme 
deference  to  each  other  could  have  arisen,  I  cannot  conceive ;  it 
does  not  seem  to  be  fear  of  each  other  that  elicits  it.  Even  the 
chiefs  inspire  no  fear,  and  those  cruel  old  platitudes  about  gov- 
erning savages  by  fear  seem  unknown,  yet  governed  they 
certainly  are,  and  upon  the  whole  very  well. 

"The  owners  of  huts  lend  them  willingly  to  strangers,  and 
have  a  great  deal  of  toil  in  consequence;  they  have  to  clean 
them  after  the  visitors  have  M'ithdrawn ;  then,  in  addition  to 
this,  to  clean  themselves,  all  soiled  by  the  dust  left  by  tlie  lodg- 
ers ;  their  bodies  and  clothes  have  to  be  cleansed  afterwards ; 
they  add  food  too  in  all  cases  of  acquaintanceship,  and  then  we 
have  to  remember  the  labor  of  preparing  that  food.  My  re- 
maining here  enables  me  to  observe  that  both  men  and  Momon 
are  in  almost  constant  employment.  The  men  are  making 
mats,  or  weaving,  or  spinning;  no  one  could  witness  their 
assiduity  in  their  little  affairs  and  conclude  tliat  they  were  a 
lazy  people.  The  only  idle  time  I  observe  here  is  in  the  morn- 
ings about  seven  o'clock,  when  all  come  and  sit  to  catch  the 
first  rays  of  the  sun  as  he  comes  over  our  clump  of  trees,  but 
even  that  time  is  often  taken  as  an  opportunity  for  stringing 
beads. 


THE    CUPPING   HORN.  523 

"  The  people  seem  to  have  no  family  names.  A  man  takes  the 
name  of  his  mother,  or  should  his  father  die  he  may  assume 
that.  Marriage  is  forbidden  to  the  first,  second,  and  third 
degrees :  they  call  first  and  second  cousins  brothers  and  sisters." 

Among  the  customs  which  approach  nearest  the  arts  of  civil- 
ized life  the  doctor  mentions  the  cupping  of  the  temples  for 
sore  eyes.  Having  no  such  appliances  as  we  consider  almost 
essentia],  and  untaught  as  they  are  in  the  philosophical  princi- 
ples underlying  it,  these  rude  people  have  been  aided  by  their 
remarkable  ingenuity  in  devising  the  practical  counterpart  of 
our  more  elegant  cups.  In  their  process  "a  goat's  horn  is  used 
with  a  small  hole  in  the  pointed  end ;  the  base  is  applied  to  the 
part  from  which  the  blood  is  to  be  drawn,  and  the  operator, 
with  a  small  piece  of  chewed  India-rubber  in  his  mouth,  ex- 
hausts the  air,  and  at  the  proper  moment  plasters  the  hole  up 
with  his  tongue.  When  the  cupping  horn  is  removed,  some 
cuts  are  made  with  a  small  knife  and  it  is  again  applied."  It 
may  seem  a  rough  appliance,  as  indeed  it  is,  but  it  serves  the 
purpose  and  is  in  great  repute  all  through  the  country.  Like 
everything  else  in  the  country,  however,  this  has  its  attending 
superstition ;  a  mother  who  thus  extracts  the  blood  from  her 
child  may  be  seen  immediately  sprinkling  those  precious  drops, 
as  a  charm,  over  the  roof  of  her  hut.  Charms  were  in  universal 
use,  over  doors  and  gateways,  everywhere  that  they  could  be 
thought  of. 

But,  although  Livingstone  was  a  man  who  could  find  some- 
thing of  interest  in  almost  everything  and  everybody,  the  time 
hung  very  heavily  on  his  hands.  He  lost  no  opportunity  to 
seek  information  about  the  surrounding  country  from  Arabs 
and  natives,  but  they  could  give  but  little  satisfaction ;  they 
were  too  ignorant  to  even  notice  more  than  forced  itself  on 
their  observation  by  the  difficulties  or  convenience  of  travelling. 

The  intercourse  of  the  Arabs,  who  were  themselves  blacks, 
was  that  of  equals  with  the  natives ;  they  bought  and  sold  and 
married,  came  and  went,  formed  alliances  or  made  wars,  just 
like  the  heathen  they  were  with.  But  they  were  respected 
because  they  brought  goods  and  carried  guns.  And  so  far  it 
Avas  a  thing  to  be  glad  of,  that  Livingstone  had  their  protection 
under  the  circumstances;  and  they  were  in  constant  intercourse 


5M  TOAVN   LIFE. 

with  Zanzibar,  and  furnished  the  means  of  sending  out  letters; 
but  they  were  no  society  for  Dr.  Livingstone. 

The  country,  tliough  beautiful,  presented  few  features  of 
sufficient  interest  to  engage  one  so  long  a  time.  In  connection 
with  the  tediousness  of  this  delay,  the  doctor  says : 

"  There  is  nothing  interesting  in  a  heathen  town.  All  are 
busy  in  preparing  food  or  clothing,  mats  or  baskets,  whilst  the 
women  are  cleaning  or  grinding  their  corn,  which  involves 
much  hard  labor.  They  first  dry  this  in  the  sun,  then  put  it 
into  a  mortar,  and  afterwards  with  a  flat  basket  clean  off  the 
liusks  and  the  dust,  and  grind  it  between  two  stones ;  the  next 
thing  is  to  bring  wood  and  water  to  cook  it.  Now  and  then  a 
little  relief  was  afforded  by  some  occurrence  a  little  out  of  the 
ordinary.  The  weather  was  quite  cool  part  of  the  while, 
although  the  hot  season,  which  comes  earlier  than  in  the  more 
southern  country  by  some  months,  was  beginning  in  May,  and 
the  people  frequently  set  fire  to  their  frail  huts  by  the  careless 
use  of  that  dangerous  agent.  On  one  occasion  the  chief  was 
aroused  and  threatened  to  burn  his  own  house  and  all  his  prop- 
erty because  the  people  stole  from  it,  but  he  did  not  proceed  so 
far :  it  was  probably  a  way  of  letting  the  Arab  dependents  know 
that  he  was  aroused.*' 

The  leading  feature  of  the  place  was  the  slave-trading,  as  it 
is  wherever  these  Arabs  have  penetrated.  Of  this  trade,  as 
existing  here,  the  doctor  says: 

"  Slaves  are  sold  here  in  the  same  open  way  that  the  business 
is  carried  on  in  Zanzibar  slave-market.  A  man  goes  about 
calling  out  the  price  he  wants  for  the  slave,  who  walks  behind 
him ;  if  a  woman,  she  is  taken  into  a  hut  to  b^  examined  in  a 
state  of  nudity. 

"  Slavery  is  a  great  evil  wherever  I  have  seen  it.  A  poor 
old  woman  and  child  are  among  the  captives.  The  boy,  about 
three  years  old,  seems  a  mother's  pet.  His  feet  are  sore  from 
walking  in  the  sun.  He  was  offered  for  two  fathoms,  and  his 
mother  for  one  fathom ;  he  understood  it  all,  and  cried  bitterly, 
clinging  to  his  mother.  She  had,  of  course,  no  power  to  help 
him ;  tiicy  were  separated  at  Karungu  afterwards." 

"  The  above,"  writes  the  editor  of  the  "  Last  Journals,"  who 
was  familiar  with  the  country, ''  is  an  episode  of  every-day  occur- 


LITTLE    WONDERS.  525 

Tcnce  in  the  wake  of  the  slave-dealer.  '  Two  fathoms/  men- 
tioned as  the  price  of  the  boy's  life — the  more  valuable  of  the 
two — means  four  yards  of  unbleached  calico,  which  is  a  universal 
article  of  barter  throughout  the  greater  part  of  Africa :  the 
mother  was  bought  for  two  yards.  The  reader  must  not  think 
that  there  are  no  lower  prices ;  in  the  famines  which  succeed  the 
slave-dealer's  raids,  boys  and  girls  are  at  times  to  be  purchased 
by  the  dealer  for  a  few  handfuls  of  maize." 

The  large  animals,  which  have  become  familiar  objects  to  the 
reader  who  has  followed  us  along  the  track  of  this  wonderful 
traveller,  abounded  in  the  region.  But  among  the  more  insig- 
nificant creatures  some  curiosities  are  mentioned.  Indeed  it  is 
one  of  the  pleasant  things  of  our  experience,  in  examining  care- 
fully the  vast  amount  of  material  which  has  at  one  time  and 
another  been  given  to  the  world  by  Dr.  Livingstone,  that  we 
are  led  into  the  obscurities  of  unconspicuous  nature,  the  little 
things,  which  we  might  pass  over  had  we  a  guide  less  thought- 
ful and  intelligent.  It  is  in  the  tiny  existences  of  earth  that  the 
finest  touches  of  Divine  wisdom  are  displayed.  Out  of  inex- 
haustible resources  the  Infinite  Creator,  who  sets  our  sky  with 
worlds  like  jewels,  affords  to  fill  also  the  hidden  places  with 
works  of  marvellous  beauty  and  interest.  Livingstone  honored 
God  by  an  unwearying  curiosity :  the  birds  and  flowers,  the 
earth  and  rocks,  all  had  attraction  for  him.  But  the  special 
objects  mentioned  here  may  hardly  seem  to  justify  enthusi- 
asm ;  however,  commonplace  as  they  may  seem,  his  notes  serve 
to  illustrate  one  important  and  honorable  feature  of  the  charac- 
ter of  this  great  man — the  carefulness  of  his  observations. 

"A  large  spider  makes  a  nest  inside  the  huts.  It  consists  of 
a  piece  of  pure  white  paper,  an  inch  and  a  half  broad,  stuck  flat 
on  the  wall ;  under  this  some  forty  or  fifty  eggs  are  placed,  and 
then  a  quarter  of  an  inch  of  thinner  paper  is  put  round  it, 
apparently  to  fasten  the  first  firmly.  When  making  the  paper 
the  spider  moves  itself  over  the  surface  in  wavy  lines ;  she  then 
sits  on  it  with  her  eight  legs  spread  over  all  for  three  weeks 
continuously,  catching  and  eating  any  insects,  as  cockroaches, 
that  come  near  her  nest.  After  three  weeks  she  leaves  it  to 
hunt  for  food,  but  always  returns  at  night :  the  natives  do  not 
molest  it. 


526  THE   COVENANT. 

"A  small  ant  mastei-s  the  common  fly  by  seizing  a  wing  or 
leg,  and  holding  on  till  the  fly  is  tired  out ;  at  first  the  fly  can 
move  about  on  the  wing  without  inconvenience,  but  it  is  at  last 
obliged  to  succumb  to  an  enemy  very  much  smaller  than  itsel£ 

"A  species  of  Touraco,  new  to  me,  has  a  broad  yellow  mask 
on  the  upper  part  of  the  bill  and  forehead ;  the  topknot  is  pur- 
])le,  tlie  wings  the  same  as  in  other  species,  but  the  red  is  roseate. 
The  yellow  of  the  mask  plates  is  conspicuous  at  a  distance." 

At  last,  after  so  long  a  time,  and  more  lying  and  plundering 
on  both  sides  than  we  could  recount  in  a  volume,  affairs  were 
brought  to  something  like  a  settlement  between  Nsama  and 
Hamees,  and  Nsama  promised  to  seal  the  covenant  of  peace 
by  giving  one  of  his  daughters  to  Hamees  as  a  wife !  The  way 
was  now  cleared  of  the  great  obstacle,  and  Livingstone  with  his 
little  band  set  out  across  the  country  in  company  with  the 
Arabs. 

The  country  is  described  as  quite  beautiful.  Crossing  the 
Urangu  and  the  Lofu,  which,  the  reader  will  remember,  had 
been  crossed  nearer  their  sources  before  reaching  the  lake,  they 
ascended  the  ridge  which  forms  the  water-shed  between  Lake 
Liemba  and  the  Moero.  Descending  this  ridge  they  were  in 
Itawa,  the  dominion  of  Nsama.  This  chief  was  of  a  different 
family  from  those  of  Urangu.  Kasonso,  Chitimba,  and  Urong- 
we,  were  all  Urangai,  and  equal  in  rank ;  Nsama  was  of  the 
Babemba  family. 

The  party  marched  first  to  Hara,  a  district  of  Itawa,  whose 
stockaded  village  had  been  destroyed  by  the  Arabs  during  the 
"  late  unpleasantness  "  of  which  we  have  told  you. 

They  were  here  on  the  5th  of  September,  1867.  "Obedient 
to  the  customs  of  the  country,"  says  the  doctor,  "  we  waitetl  at 
Hara  to  see  if  Nsaraa  wished  us  any  nearer  to  himself.  He  is 
very  much  afraid  of  the  Arabs,  and  well  he  may  be,  for  he 
was  until  lately  supposed  to  be  invincible.  He  fell  before 
twenty  muskets,  and  this  has  caused  a  panic  throughout  the 
country." 

It  was  distressing  indeed  to  see  so  fine  a  district  almost 
abandoned  by  its  occupants.  The  strife  had  lx?en  short,  and 
only  a  "little  quarrel,"  as  we,  who  are  acquainted  with  civilized 
war,  would  think;  but  the  people  had  fled;  and  there  were  no 


VISITS   NSAMA.  527 

reapers  for  the  fields  which  waved  their  harvests,  like  the  ban- 
ner of  divine  benevolence,  wliich  kindly  cheers  the  sorrows  that 
men  bring  on  themselves  by  their  animosities  in  Africa  and 
America  alike.  The  abundance  of  food  was  amazing :  "  three 
hundred  men,  living  at  free  quarters,  made  no  impression  on  it." 

Nsama  had  erected  a  new  stockade  close  by  the  old  one,  wliich 
had  been  burned  by  Hamidi  bin  Mohamad,  and  there  he  sat  in 
state  to  receive  the  visitor.  When  he  received  Dr.  Livingstone's 
messenger,  he  returned  an  invitation  to  him  to  come  and  see 
him,  but  to  bring  no  guns.  Accordingly  the  doctor  went  on  to 
his  stockade,  attended  by  a  large  crowd  of  people.  "  Before  we 
came  to  the  inner  stockade,"  says  he,  "  they  felt  my  clothes  to 
see  that  no  firearms  were  concealed  about  my  person.  When 
we  reached  Nsama,  we  found  a  very  old  man,  with  a  good  head 
and  face  and  a  large  abdomen,  showing  that  he  M'as  addicted  to 
pombe :  his  people  have  to  carry  him.  I  gave  him  a  cloth,  and 
asked  for  guides  to  Moero,  which  he  readily  granted,  and  asked 
leave  to  feel  my  clothes  and  hair.  I  advised  him  to  try  and 
live  at  peace,  but  his  people  were  all  so  much  beyond  the  con- 
trol of  himself  and  head  men,  that  at  last,  after  scolding  them, 
he  told  me  that  he  would  send  for  me  by  night,  and  then  we 
could  converse,  but  this  seems  to  have  gone  out  of  his  head. 
He  sent  me  a  goat,  flour,  and  pombe,  and  next  day  we  returned 
to  Hara." 

Although  Nsama  seemed  quite  pleasant,  and,  besides  manifest- 
ing considerable  respect  for  the  guns  which  he  had  learned  had 
largely  the  advantage  over  his  bows  and  arrows,  had  made  such 
positive  terms  with  Hamees,  there  were  no  little  grounds  of 
suspicion  that  he  might  after  all  be  only  seeking  to  encourage  a 
confidence  on  the  part  of  the  Arabs,  which  might  enable  him  to 
gain  some  sudden  advantage  of  them ;  he  had  not  kept  his  word 
to  Hamees,  either  about  promised  ivory  or  the  wife,  and 
Hamees  was  not  trustful  at  best.  It  was  beginning  to  be  doubt- 
ful whether  the  hope  of  going  on  peaceably  might  not  turn  out 
a  false  hope.  And  Hamees  was  arranging  to  go  back  to 
Chitiraba  to  protect  his  people  and  property  there,  when,  much 
to  the  gratification  of  all  hands,  on  the  14th  of  September,  the 
promised  daughter  of  Nsama  made  her  appearance,  in  splendid 
etyle,  the  most  approved  fashion  of  this  country,  "  riding  picka- 
27 


528  A   WIFE   THROWN   IN. 

pack  on  a  man's  slioulders ;"  and  the  doctor  goes  on  to  assure  us 
that  this  bride  to  be  was,  according  to  the  standard  of  the  realm 
in  which  she  dwelt,  a  nice,  modest,  good-looking  young  woman, 
her  hair  rubbed  all  over  with  nkola,  a  red  pigment,  made  from 
the  camwood,  and  much  used  as  an  ornament.  She  was  accom- 
panied by  about  a  dozen  young  and  old  female  attendants,  each 
carrying  a  small  basket  with  some  provisions,  as  cassava, 
ground-nuts,  &c.  The  Arabs  were  all  dressed  in  their  finery, 
and  the  slaves,  in  fantastic  dresses,  flourished  swords,  fired  guns, 
and  yelled.  When  she  was  brought  to  Hainees'  hut  she  de- 
scended, and  with  her  maids  went  into  the  hut.  She  and  her 
attendants  had  all  small,  neat  features.  The  doctor  had  been 
sitting  with  Hamees,  and  now  rose  up  and  went  away.  As  the 
doctor  passed  him,  he  spoke  thus  to  himself:  "Hamees  Wadim 
Tagh !  see  to  what  you  have  brought  yourself!  !  " 

In  this  connection  we  may  add  that  Nsama's  people  are  re- 
ported to  have  small  well-chiselled  features,  and  many  are 
really  handsome,  and  have  nothing  of  the  west  coast  negro 
about  them,  but  they  file  their  teeth  to  sharp  points,  and  greatly 
disfigure  their  mouths.  The  only  difference  betv/een  them  and 
Europeans  is  the  color.  Many  of  the  men  have  very  finely- 
formed  heads,  and  so  have  the  women  ;  and  the  fashion  of  wear- 
ing the  hair  sets  off  their  foreheads  to  advantage.  The  forehead 
is  shaved  off  to  the  crown,  the  space  narrowing  as  it  goes  up ; 
then  the  back  hair  is  arranged  into  knobs  of  about  ten  rows. 
They  are  quite  intelligent  and  evince  considerable  quickness  of 
perception,  and  it  was  not  difficult  to  understand  the  position 
which  they  had  gained  among  the  tribes,  when  tolerably  fiimiliar 
with  their  characters.  They  are  rather  apt  students  of  human 
nature,  and  particularly  quick  to  detect  the  peculiarities  of  a 
man;  this  was  illustrated  by  their  habit  of  naming  those  with 
whom  they  came  in  contact  in  accordance  with  the  character 
displayed  :  for  instance,  they  called  Hamid  bin  Mohamad  "  Tipo 
Tipo,"  which  means  "  gather  together  of  wealth,"  he  being  the 
cliief  actor  in  the  spoiling  of  the  country ;  and  another  who  will 
figure  hereafter  as  conspicuous  in  the  slaving  business  was 
called  "  Kumba  Kumba,"  a  collector  of  people.  But  intelligent 
and  brave  as  they  might  bo,  they  had  become  thoroughly  afraid 
of  guns. 


A   LESSON   IN    CHARITY.  531 

It  was  exceedingly  trying  on  many  accounts  to  be  obliged  to 
keep  the  company  of  the  Arabs,  but  particularly  on  account  of 
the  very  dilatory  movements  of  their  party  ;  but  there  was  noth- 
ing else  to  be  done.  Nsaraa  could  not  be  depended  on,  and  the 
little  party  of  Dr.  Livingstone,  small  as  it  had  become,  was  less 
and  less  to  be  trusted.  Another  of  his  men  had  abandoned  him 
on  the  borders  of  Itawa,  the  very  scamp  who  had  been  the  cause 
of  his  misfortune  in  being  robbed  of  his  medicine-box.  He  felt 
almost  alone,  and  could  not  fail  to  appreciate  the  providence 
which  had  raised  him  up  an  escort  of  the  very  men  whose  trade 
was  most  contrary  to  his  views.  Possibly  the  kindness  which 
was  shown  him  by  these  dealers  in  slaves  was  intended,  by  the 
great  Ruler  of  all,  to  correct  any  growing  bitterness  against  the 
slave-owner,  while  he  might  detest  slave-owning.  It  is,  we 
know,  one  of  the  most  lamentable  weaknesses  of  human  nature, 
that  we  cannot  recognize,  as  we  should,  the  different  educations 
of  men,  or  make  allowance  fully  for  the  differences  of  judgment. 
We  are,  perhaps,  more  forward  than  we  should  be,  to  make  our 
opinions  of  right  the  absolute  touch-stone  of  human  virtue.  It 
is  thus  that  we  become  the  persecutors  of  men  when  we  should 
be  the  advocates  of  doctrine.  It  is  not  to  be  desired  that  a  man 
should  surrender  his  ideas  of  right,  because  of  other  good  he 
may  find  in  those  who  diifer  with  him  on  some  great  question ; 
but  it  is  well  if  he  comes  to  distinguish  between  honest  differ- 
ence of  opinion  and  personal  meanness,  and  learns  to  respect  a 
man  though  he  may  hate  a  sentiment.  The  question  of  human 
slavery  has  been  prominent  among  the  vital  issues  of  centuries. 
In  our  own  country  it  has  been  a  very  serious  one.  It  is  to  be 
lamented  that  the  antagonists  in  the  great  controversy  have  been 
so  frequently  unable  to  rise  above  personal  bitterness  in  the  dis- 
cussion. It  ought  not  to  be  expected  of  any  man  to  abandon 
his  convictions  of  right  or  privilege  at  the  bar  of  his  neighbor's 
judgment;  before  a  common  Creator  and  Judge  let  every  man 
stand  or  fall. 

The  fact  of  property  in  man  is  now  a  thing  of  the  past  in 
our  country,  and  the  most  zealous  supporters  of  the  policy 
which  has  cancelled  it,  the  most  ardent  advocates  of  human 
equality,  ought,  to  reflect  whether  they  do  not  violate  their  own 
almost  deified  code  when  they  visit  still  with  their  anathemas 


532  DIFFERENT   MOTIVES. 

those  who  decline  to  confess  themselves  sinners  above  others 
because  they  owned  slaves.  God  grant  that  Americans  may 
speedily  outgrow  all  remaining  taint  of  tyranny  which  shows 
itself  in  hating  a  man  because  of  his  creed,  and  stand  before 
the  world  in  fact,  as  they  do  in  name,  a  brotherhood  on  the 
matchless  basis  of  unfettered  conscience,  the  keystone  of  the 
structure  which  shel  ;ers  them. 

When  at  last  the  way  was  open,  whatever  may  have  been  his 
moralizing,  Dr.  Livingstone  was  full  of  joy.  He  set  out 
attended  by  the  whole  party  of  Arabs — they  "svith  hearts  set  on 
the  ivory  and  slaves  in  v/hich  they  saw  their  longed-for  wealth 
and  self-indulgence ;  he  to  find  the  solution,  if  possible,  of  the 
problem  which  had  engaged  mankind  for  so  many  centuries,  to 
settle,  if  possible,  questions  of  vast  importance  to  the  continent, 
to  mark  out  a  path  for  civilization,  to  set  up  the  standard  of 
Christ  in  the  centre  of  that  most  needing  land.  How  strangely 
the  motives  of  these  men  contrasted  !  "What  was  the  difference  ? 
Can  color  or  education  explain  it  ?  Was  there  not  a  deeper 
diiference  than  can  be  found  in  complexion,  or  made  by  teach- 
ings?    Can  it  be  explained  except  by  the  religion  of  Jesus? 

The  long  line  went  winding  away  from  the  village  of  Nsama, 
first  northward,  crossing  several  ridges  and  valleys,  fording  the 
Chisera  and  the  Kamosenga  rivers,  to  the  village  of  Karungu, 
w^iere  they  arrived  on  the  30th.  The  journey  had  been  at- 
tended with  only  the  usual  incidents  of  M'alking  and  waiting, 
giving  and  receiving  presents  with  the  people.  The  people  all 
along  were  the  subjects  of  Nsama,  though  obeying  local  chiefs ; 
they  had  been  kind  and  generous.  The  scenery  varied ;  there 
had  been  splendid  mountain  views,  lovely  glens,  and  broad 
plains,  birds,  and  vast  herds  of  the  animals  which  belong  to  the 
land.  The  terror  of  guns,  which  the  people  had  conceived  from 
the  experience  of  Nsama,  was  the  principal  inconvenience;  this, 
in  some  instances,  made  intercourse  with  the  chiefs  almost  im- 
possible. An  extract,  in  the  traveller's  own  language,  will  illus- 
trate, more  perfectly  than  we  can  explain,  the  annoyances  of  the 
journey  : 

"Karungu  was  very  much  afraid  of  us;  he  kept  every 
one  out  of  his  stockade  at  first,  but  during  the  time  the 
Arabs   sent    forward    to    try    and    conciliate    other    chiefs   he 


Tiro  Tipo.  533 

gradually  became  more  friendly.  He  had  little  ivory  to  sell, 
and  of  those  who  had,  Mtete  or  Mtema  seemed  inclined  to  treat 
the  messengers  roughly.  Men  were  also  sent  to  Nsama,  asking 
him  to  try  and  induce  Mtema  and  Chikongo  to  be  friendly  and 
sell  ivory  and  provisions,  but  he  replied  that  these  chiefs  were 
not  men  under  him,  and  if  they  thought  themselves  strong 
enough  to  contend  against  guns  he  had  nothing  to  say  to  them. 
Other  chiefs  threatened  to  run  away  as  soon  as  they  saw  the 
Arabs  approaching.  These  were  assured  that  we  meant  to  pass 
through  the  country  alone,  and  if  they  gave  us  guides  to  show 
ns  how,  we  should  avoid  the  villages  altogether,  and  proceed  to 
the  countries  where  ivory  was  to  be  bought;  however,  the 
panic  was  too  great,  no  one  would  agree  to  our  overtures,  and 
at  last  when  we  did  proceed  a  chief  on  the  river  Choma  ful- 
filled his  threat  and  left  us  three  emj^ty  villages.  There  were 
no  people  to  sell,  though  the  granaries  were  crammed,  and  it  was 
impossible  to  prevent  the  slaves  from  stealing. 

"  When  Chikongo  heard  Tipo  Tipo's  message  about  buying 
ivory,  he  said :  'And  when  did  Tipo  Tipo  place  ivory  in  my 
country  that  he  comes  seeking  it?'  Yet  he  sent  a  tusk  and 
said,  'That  is  all  I  have,  and  he  is  not  to  come  here.'"  "Their 
hostile  actions,"  writes  the  doctor,  "are  caused  principally  by  fear. 
'  If  Nsama  could  not  stand  before  the  Malongwana  or  traders, 
how  can  we  face  them  ?  '  I  wished  to  go  on  to  Moero,  but  all 
declare  that  our  ten  guns  would  put  all  the  villages  to  flight : 
they  are  terror-struck.     First  rains  of  this  season  on  the  5th." 

Nearly  the  whole  of  October  was  lost  here,  while  the  Arabs 
were  trying  to  drive  their  trades  with  the  chiefs  of  the  neigh- 
borhood. There  was  very  little  to  encourage  them  to  continue 
their  journey  to  the  Lake  IMoero,  as  all  the  chiefs  seemed  de- 
termined to  sell  nothing.  And  it  seemed  not  improbable  that 
Dr.  Livingstone  would,  after  all  his  waiting,  be  left  to  continue 
his  journey  alone.  And  under  ordinary  circumstances  there  is 
not  much  uncertainty  whether  he  would  not  have  gone  on  much 
more  rapidly.  These  Arab  traders  were  themselves  quite  as 
much  a  curiosity  as  the  natives ;  they  seemed  tremendously 
religious  in  their  way.  They  consulted  the  Koran  for  every- 
thing, and  depend  on  all  sorts  of  conjuring.  Their  wedding 
and  funeral  occasions  were  just  such  as  might  be  seen  in  any  of 


534  KORAN   DECIDES   ALL. 

the  villages,  except  that  the  Koran  figured  in  them.  They 
"were  greatly  perplexed  by  the  joy  which  their  fellow-traveller 
liad  in  the  death  of  Jesus.  They  knew  of  Jesus,  but  said  he 
had  foretold  Mohammed,  that  he  did  not  die  himself,  but  another 
died  in  his  place.  It  was  certainly  to  be  lamented  that  the 
name  of  religion  should  find  its  foremost  representatives  in  the 
heart  of  Africa  in  such  men.  Yet  so  it  was.  Livingstone  was 
the  first  white  man  who  traversed  these  secluded  regions. 

The  inevitable  Koran  finally  decided  that  the  party  should 
move  on  westward.  Accordingly  they  set  out  along  the  broken 
country  which  divides  Itawa  from  Lopere.  On  the  28th  they 
crossed  the  Choma  at  the  village  Chifupa,  and  noticed  that  it 
flowed  southwest  to  join  the  Chisera,  and  with  that  into  the 
Kalongosi,  one  of  the  tributaries,  as  will  be  seen,  of  Lake 
Moero.  On  this  march  Livingstone  noticed  two  ugly  images 
in  huts  built  for  them ;  they  represented  in  a  poor  way  the 
people  of  the  country,  and  were  used  in  rain-making,  and  in 
the  ceremonies  of  curing  the  sick.  This,  he  remarks,  was  the 
nearest  approach  to  idol  worship  which  he  had  found  in  the 
country.  It  is  a  matter  of  interest  that  idols  are  so  few  in 
eastern  Africa.  They  are  worshipped  more  commonly  in  the 
west.  But  we  feel  assured  that  the  reader  will  not  feel  that  too 
much  time  is  spent  by  the  way  if  we  present  him  with  a  few 
l>ages  just  as  they  come  from  the  hand  of  the  man  while  in  the 
midst  of  these  far-off  scenes  : 

"We  are  still  going  westward,"  he  writes,  "and  in  an  open 
valley  remarkable  for  the  numbers  of  a  small  euphorbia, 
which  we  smashed  at  every  step.  Crossed  a  small  but  strong 
rivulet,  the  Lipande,  going  southwest  to  Moero;  then,  an  hour 
afterwards,  crossed  it  again,  now  twenty  yards  wide  ar.d  knee- 
deep.  After  descending  from  the  tree-covered  hill  which  divides 
Lipande  from  Luao,  we  crossed  the  latter  to  sleep  on  its  western 
bank.  The  hills  are  granite  now,  and  a  range  on  our  left,  from 
seven  hundred  to  fifteen  hundred  feet  high,  goes  on  all  the  way 
to  Moero. 

"  These  valleys  along  which  we  travel  are  beautiful.  Green 
is  the  prevailing  color ;  but  the  clumps  of  trees  assume  a  great 
variety  of  forms,  and  often  remind  one  of  English  park  scenery. 
The  long  line  of  slaves  and  carriers,  brought  up  by  their  Arab 


SNEERS  PREVAIL,  535 

employers,  adds  life  to  the  scene ;  they  are  in  three  bodies,  and 
number  four  hundred  and  fifty  in  all.  Each  party  has  a  guide 
with  a  flag,  and  when  that  is  planted,  all  tliat  company  stops  till 
it  is  lifted,  and  a  drum  is  beaten,  and  a  kudu's  horn  sounded. 
One  party  is  headed  by  about  a  dozen  leaders,  dressed  witlr  fan- 
tastic head-gear  of  feathers  and  beads,  red  cloth  on  the  l)odies, 
and  skins  cut  into  strips  and  twisted :  they  take  their  })laces  in 
line,  the  drum  beats,  the  horn  sounds  liarshly,  and  all  fall  in. 
These  sounds  seem  to  awaken  a  sort  of  esprit  de  corps  in  those 
who  have  once  been  slaves.  My  attendants  now  jumped  up, 
and  would  scarcely  allow  me  time  to  dress  when  they  heard  the 
sounds  of  their  childhood,  and  all  day  they  were  among  the  fore- 
most. One  said  to  me  '  that  his  feet  were  rotten  with  marching,' 
and  this  though  told  that  they  were  not  called  on  to  race  along 
like  slaves. 

"The  Africans  cannot  stand  sneers.  When  any  mishap 
occui'S  in  the  march  (as  when  a  branch  tilts  a  load  off  a  man's 
shoulder)  all  who  see  it  set  up  a  yell  of  derision  ;  if  anything  is 
accidentally  spilled,  or  if  one  is  tired  and  sits  down,  the  same 
yell  greets  him,  and  all  are  excited  thereby  to  exert  themselves. 
They  hasten  on  with  their  loads,  and  hurry  with  the  sheds  they 
build  ;  the  masters  only  bring  up  the  rear,  helping  any  one  who 
may  be  sick.  The  distances  travelled  were  quite  as  much  as  the 
masters  or  we  could  bear.  Had  frequent  halts  been  made — as, 
for  instance,  a  half  or  a  quarter  of  an  hour  at  the  end  of  every 
hour  or  two — but  little  distress  would  have  been  felt ;  but  five 
hours  at  a  stretch  is  more  than  man  can  bear  in  a  hot  climate. 
The  female  slaves  held  on  bravely ;  nearly  all  carried  loads  on 
their  heads :  the  head,  or  lady  of  the  party,  who  is  also  the  wife 
of  the  Arab,  was  the  only  exception.  She  had  a  fine  white 
shawl,  with  ornaments  of  gold  and  silver  on  her  head.  These 
ladies  had  a  jaunty  walk,  and  never  gave  in  on  the  longest 
march ;  many  pounds'  weight  of  fine  copper  leglets  above  the 
ankles  seemed  only  to  help  the  sway  of  their  walk ;  as  soon  as 
they  arrive  at  the  sleeping-place  they  begin  to  cook,  and  in  this 
art  they  show  a  good  deal  of  expertness,  making  savory  dishes 
for  their  masters  out  of  w^ild  fruits  and  other  not  very  likely 
materials. 

"  The  splendid  ranges  of  hills  retire  as  we  advance ;  the 


636-  LAKE   MOERO. 

soil  is  very  rich.  At  two  villages  the  people  did  not  want  us, 
so  we  went  on  and  encamped  near  a  third,  Kabwakwa,  where  a 
son  of  Mohamad  bin  Saleh,  with  a  number  of  Wanyamwesi,  lives. 
The  chief  of  this  part  is  Muabo,  but  we  did  not  see  him  :  the 
people  brought  plenty  of  food  for  us  to  buy.  The  youth's 
fether  is  at  Casembe's.  The  country-people  were  very  much 
given  to  falsehood — every  place  inquired  for  was  near — ivory 
abundant — provisions  of  all  sorts  cheap  and  plenty.  Our  head 
men  trusted  to  these  statements  of  this  young  man  rather,  and 
he  led  them  to  desist  going  farther.  E,ua  country  was  a  month 
distant,  he  said,  and  but  little  ivory  there.  It  is  but  three  days 
off  (we  saw  it  after  three  days).  '  No  ivory  at  Casembe's  or 
here  in  Buire,  or  Kabuire.'  He  was  right  as  to  Casembe.  Let- 
ters, however,  came  from  Hamees,  with  news  of  a  depressing 
nature.     Chitimba  is  dead,  and  so  is  Mambwe." 

The  news  of  Chitimba's  death,  and  that  his  people  were 
fighting  for  the  chieftainship,  and  other  matters  in  an  unsettled 
state  there,  was  anything  but  pleasant  to  the  Arabs ;  the  princi- 
pal results  of  their  trading  were  stored  there ;  the  effect  of  the 
news  was  to  decide  Tipo  Tipo  to  return  and  join  Hamees.  He 
decided  to  remain  in  Buire  only  ten  or  twenty  days,  send  out 
people  to  buy  M^hat  ivory  they  could,  and  retire. 

Dr.  Livingstone  parted  with  Tipo  Tipo  on  the  7th  November, 
in  company  with  a  party  of  his  men  who  were  to  visit  Casembe 
for  ivory.  They  passed  along  a  lovely  valley  formed  by  the 
Kakoma  range  and  another  in  the  distance  to  the  northwest. 
This  valley  was  thickly  studded  over  with  villages,  the  common 
distance  from  one  to  another  not  being  more  than  one  hundred 
or  two  hundred  yards.  All  of  these  villages  were  surrounded, 
like  those  of  Londa  or  Lunda,  by  shade  trees. 

On  the  8th  they  came  to  Lake  Moero,  nestling  quietly  between 
two  ranges  of  mountains,  and  slept  in  a  fisherman's  hut. 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

A    MONTH    WITH    CASEMBE. 

Moero— Bound  for  Casembe—Kalongosi— Abundance  of  Fish— Dr.  Lacerda— 
The  Balonda— Enter  Cascmbe's  Village— Graciously  Received— Mohamad  bin 
Saleh — Notes  from  Journal— Zofii,  King's  Fool — "Casembe,"  General — His 
Character — Customs — Land  Claims— Hand-Shaking— Letter  to  Lord  Claren- 
don—Descriptive Resume— Sickness— Leaves  Casembe— Bound  for  Ujiji— 
Mohamad  bin  Saleh  his  Companion— Hunger— Illness— Last  Day  of  1867— A 
Touching  Record. 

Leaving  the  special  observation  of  !Moero  for  the  present, 
Livingstone  reascended  the  eastern  flanking  ridge  and  turned 
southward  towards  the  town  of  Casembe.  Tliere  were  only 
nine  persons  in  the  party ;  yet  the  people  of  the  villages  seemed 
to  fear  them,  and  frequently  closed  their  gates  as  they  ap- 
proached. Almost  daily,  as  they  advanced  southward,  they 
met  parties  of  salt  traders,  and  learned  that  quite  a  trade  is  car- 
ried on  from  the  salt  springs  and  mud  about  the  lake  to  Lunda, 
and  elsewhere.  These  salt  traders  in  their  salutations  brought 
to  mind  a  custom  which  will  not  be  new — the  rubbing  earth  on 
the  arms.  The  route  lay  across  numberless  streams  and  rivu- 
lets ;  and  about  half  way  they  crossed  the  Kalongosi,  or,  as  the 
Arabs  and  Portuguese  jironounce  it,  Karungwesi,  about  sixty 
yards  wide,  and  flowing  fast  over  stones.  It  is  deep  enough, 
even  now  when  the  rainy  season  is  not  commenced,  to  require 
canoes.  It  is  said  to  rise  in  Kumbi,  or  Afar,  a  country  to  the 
southeast  of  our  ford.  Fish  in  great  numbers  are  caught  when 
ascending  to  spawn :  they  are  secured  by  weirs,  nets,  hooks. 
Large  strong  baskets  are  placed  in  the  rapids,  and  fdled  with 
stones :  when  the  water  rises,  the^e  baskets  are  standing-places 
for  the  fishermen  to  angle  or  throw  their  nets.  Having  crossed 
the  Kalongosi  they  were  now  in  Lunda,  or  Londa. 

It  was  noticed  that  the  Kalongosi  went  north  till  it  met  a 
large  meadow  on  the  shores  of  Moero,  and,  turning  westwards, 
it  entered  there.     The  fishermen  gave  the  names  of  thirty-nine 

537 


538  MOHAMAD    BIN   SALEH. 

species  of  fish  In  the  hike ;  they  said  that  they  never  cease  as- 
cending the  Kalongosi,  tliough  at  times  they  are  more  abundant 
than  at  others  :  they  are  as  follows  : 

ISIonde ;  Mota ;  Lasa ;  Kasibe ;  Molobe ;  Lopembe ;  ISIotoya ; 
Chipansa ;  Mpifii ;  Manda ;  Mpala ;  Moombo ;  Mfeu  ;  Mende ; 
Sense ;  Kadia  nkololo ;  Etiaka ;  Nkorao ;  Lifisha ;  Sambamkaka ; 
Ntondo  ;  Sampa ;  Bongwe ;  Mabanga ;  Kise ;  Kuanya ;  Xkosu  ; 
Pale ;  Mosungu ;  Litcmbwa ;  Mechebere  ;  Koninchia ;  Sipa ; 
Lomembe;  Molenga;  Mironge;  Nfindo;  Pende. 

But  tlie  point,  perhaps,  of  most  interest  in  this  march,  was 
the  Chungu,  whose  broad  deep  waters  were  found  choked  up 
with  trees  and  aquatic  plants.  Here  the  distinguished  Dr. 
Lacerda  died ;  he  had  penetrated  as  far  as  Casembe  in  his  effort 
to  establish  a  route  from  the  Portuguese  possessions  on  the  east 
to  Angola. 

Dr.  Livingstone  was  now  not  exactly  on  flimiliar  ground,  but 
perhaps  not  very  many  days  travel  from  the  old  path  along 
which  he  led  his  Makololo  many  years  before.  The  people  of 
Casembe  are  Balonda,  with  whom  we  became  familiar  in  the 
earlier  part  of  tlie  book. 

Profiting  by  the  benevolent  suggestion  of  a  guide,  who  had 
been  picked  up  at  Kifurwa,  Dr.  Livingstone  sent  a  present  to 
apprise  Casembe  of  his  approach,  and  waited  by  the  Chungu 
until  the  chief  might  send  one  of  his  counsellors  to  conduct 
them  to  his  town. 

They  entered  on  the  21st,  and  met  there  one  Mohamad  bin 
Saleh,  who  has  had  his  residence  in  the  country  during  the 
reign  of  four  of  the  Casembes.  He  -was  a  fine  portly  black 
Arab,  with  pure  white  beard,  and  by  his  long  residence  had 
gained  considerable  influence  among  the  Balonda  as  also  at 
Tanganyika.  This  man  received  the  doctor  most  graciously, 
and  tendered  him  a  hut  where  he  might  abide  while  his  own 
was  being  erected. 

There  the  doctor  made  some  notes,  which  the  reader  will  be 
pleased  to  have  in  his  own  language : 

"An  Arab  trader,  Mohamad  Bogarib,  who  arrived  seven  days 
before  us  with  an  immense  number  of  slaves,  presented  a  meal 
of  vermicelli,  oil,  and  honey,  also  cassava  meal  cooked  so  as  to 
resemble  a  sweetmeat  (I  had  not  tasted  honey  or  sugar  since  we 
left  Lake  Nyassa,  in  September,  18G6) :  they  had  coffee  too. 


THE  king's  fool.  539 

"Neither  goats,  sheep,  nor  cattle  thrive  here,  so  the  people  are 
confined  to  fowls  and  fish.  Cassava  is  very  extensively  culti- 
vated: indeed,  so  generally  is  this  plant  grown,  that  it  is  impossi- 
ble to  know  which  is  town  and  which  is  country :  every  hut 
has  a  plantation  around  it,  in  which  is  grown  cassava,  liolcus 
sorghum,  maize,  beans,  nuts. 

"  Mohamad  gives  the  same  account  of  the  River  Luapula 
and  Lake  Bemba  that  Jumbe  did,  but  he  adds,  that  the  Oham- 
beze,  where  we  crossed  it,  is  the  Luapula  before  it  enters  Bemba 
or  Bangweolo :  on  coming  out  of  that  lake  it  turns  round  and 
comes  away  to  the  north,  as  Luapula,  and,  without  touching 
the  Mofwe,  goes  into  INIoero;  then,  emerging  thence  at  the 
northwest  end  it  becomes  Lualaba,  goes  into  Rua,  forms  a 
lake  there,  and  afterwards  goes  into  another  lake  beyond 
Tanganyika. 

"  The  Lakelet  Mofwe  fills  during  the  rains  and  spreads  west- 
ward, much  beyond  its  banks.  Elephants  wandering  in  its 
mud  flats  when  covered  are  annually  killed  in  numbers :  if  it 
were  connected  Avith  the  Lake  Moero  the  flood  would  run  off. 

"  Many  of  Casembe's  people  appear  with  the  ears  cropped  and 
hands  lopped  off:  the  present  chief  has  been  often  guilty  of  this 
barbarity.  One  man  has  just  come  to  us  without  ears  or  hands  : 
he  tries  to  excite  our  pity,  making  a  chirruping  noise,  by  strik- 
ing his  cheeks  with  the  stumps  of  his  hands. 

"A  dwarf  also,  one  Zofu,  with  backbone  broken,  comes  about 
us :  he  talks  with  an  air  of  authority,  and  is  present  at  all  pub- 
lic occurrences :  the  people  seem  to  bear  with  him.  He  is  a 
stranger  from  a  tribe  in  the  north,  and  works  in  his  garden 
very  briskly :  his  height  is  three  feet  nine  inches." 

Casembe  is  rather  a  title  than  the  name  of  an  individual :  it 
signifies  general,  and  the  queer-looking  hard-hearted  individual 
who  wore  that  honor  at  the  time  of  Dr.  Livingstone's  visit  did 
very  little  credit  to  the  predecessors,  among  whom  may  be 
classed  the  splendid-looking  chief  whose  portrait  we  are  able  to 
lay  before  the  reader.  His  ])eople  seemed  to  have  caught  some- 
thing of  his  harsh  temper;  the  doctor  records  that  they  were  the 
most  savage  set  that  he  had  seen  ;  without  the  least  justification 
they  would  strike  each  other  most  angrily. 

Mohamad  bin  Saleh  had  a  low  opinion  of  his  lordship  and 


540  A   LAND   TITLE, 

had  only  been  waiting  for  Livingstone,  whom  he  had  heard 
was  approaching,  in  order  that  they  might  go  on  together,  as 
early  as  convenient  for  the  doctor,  to  Ujiji. 

One  quite  interesting  fact  in  connection  with  this  district, 
which  came  to  the  knowledge  of  Dr.  Livingstone,  is  recorded 
with  characteristic  minuteness,  as  follows : 

"An  old  man  named  Perembe  is  the  owner  of  the  land  on 
which  Casembe  has  built.  They  always  keep  up  the  tradi- 
tional ownership.  Munongo  is  a  brother  of  Perembe,  and  he 
owns  the  country  east  of  the  Kalongosi :  if  any  one  wished 
to  cultivate  land  he  would  apply  to  these  aboriginal  chiefs 
for  it. 

"  Old  Perembe  is  a  sensible  man  :  Mohamad  thinks  him  one 
hundred  and  fifty  years  old.  He  is  always  on  the  side  of  liber- 
ality and  fairness;  he  says  that  the  first  Casembe  was  attracted 
to  Mofwe  by  the  abundance  of  fish  in  it.  He  has  the  idea  of 
all  men  being  derived  from  a  single  pair." 

Here  is  another  squib  which  throws  light  on  the  customs : 

"Set-in  rains.  A  number  of  fine  young  girls  v»ho  live 
in  Caserabe's  compound  came  and  shook  hands  in  their  way, 
which  is  to  cross  the  right  over  to  your  left,  and  clasp  them ; 
then  give  a  few  claps  with  both  hands,  and  repeat  the  crossed 
clasp  :  they  want  to  tell  their  children  that  they  have  seen  me." 

But  happily  for  the  world,  while  sitting  down  in  the  town 
of  Casembe,  Dr.  Livingstone  drew  up  a  paper  addressed  to  Lord 
Clarendon,  which  not  only  furnislics  a  most  valuable  resumd  of 
the  country  along  which  we  have  followed  him,  but  embraces 
most  interesting  recital  of  incidents  at  Casembe's  court,  and 
notice  of  Lake  Moero.  This  letter  did  not  reach  Lord  Claren- 
don ;  but  finds  the  light  when  the  friends  are  both  dead,  and 
we  give  it  in  full,  at  the  risk  of  repetition. 

"Town  of  Casembe,  lOth  December,  1867. 
Lat.  9°  SI'  13'^  South ;  long.  28°  East. 

"The  Right  Honorable  the  Earl  of  Clarendon: 

"  JNIy  Lord  : — The  first  opportunity  I  had  of  sending  a  letter 
to  the  coast  occurred  in  February  last,  when  I  was  at  a  villago 
called  Mohimba  (lat.  10°  14'  S. ;  long.  31°  46'  E.),  in  the  coun- 
try named  Lobemba.  Lobisa,  T^obemba,  Ulungn  and  Itawa- 
Lunda  are  the  names   by  which   the  districts  of  an  elevated 


CASCADES   OF    TJIE    AEAi^V. 


LIEMBA    SCENERY.  543 

region  between  the  parallels  11°  and  8°  south,  and  meridians 
28°-33°  long,  east,  are  known.  The  altitude  of  this  upland  is 
from  four  thousand  to  six  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea.  It  is  generally  covered  with  forest,  well  watered  by 
numerous  rivulets,  and  comparatively  cold.  The  soil  is  very 
ricii,  and  yields  abundantly  wherever  cultivated.  This  is  the 
watershed  between  the  Loangwa,  a  tributary  of  the  Zambesi, 
and  several  rivers  which  flow  towards  the  north.  Of  the  latter, 
the  most  remarkable  is  the  Chambeze,  for  it  assists  in  the  forma- 
tion of  three  lakes,  and  changes  its  name  three  times  in  the  five 
or  six  hundred  miles  of  its  course. 

"  On  leaving  Lobemba  we  entered  Ulungu,  and,  as  we  pro- 
ceeded northwards,  perceived  by  the  barometers  and  the  courses 
of  numerous  rivulets,  that  a  decided  slope  lay  in  that  direction. 
A  friendly  old  Ulungu  chief,  named  Kasonso,  on  hearing  that 
I  wished  to  visit  Lake  Liemba,  which  lies  in  his  country,  gave 
his  son  with  a  large  escort  to  guide  me  thither ;  and  on  the  2d 
April  last  we  reached  the  brim  of  the  deep  cup-like  cavity  in 
which  the  lake  reposes.  The  descent  is  two  thousand  feet,  and 
still  the  surface  of  the  water  is  upwards  of  two  thousand  five 
hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  sides  of  the  hol- 
low are  very  steep,  and  sometimes  the  rocks  run  the  whole  two 
thousand  feet  sheer  down  to  the  water.  Nowhere  is  there  three 
miles  of  level  land  from  the  foot  of  the  cliffs  to  the  shore,  but 
top,  sides,  and  bottom  are  covered  with  well-grown  wood  and 
grass,  except  where  the  bare  rocks  protrude.  The  scenery  is 
extremely  beautiful.  The  '  Aeasy,'  a  stream  of  fifteen  yards 
broad  and  thigh-deep,  came  down  alongside  our  precii)itous 
path,  and  formed  cascades  by  leaping  three  hundred  feet  at  a 
time.  These,  with  the  bright  red  of  the  clay  schists  among  the 
greenwood-trees,  made  the  dullest  of  my  attendants  pause  and 
remark  with  wonder.  Antelopes,  buffaloes,  and  elephants 
abound  on  the  steep  slopes ;  and  hippopotami,  crocodiles,  and 
fish  swarm  in  the  water.  Gnus  are  here  unknown,  and  these 
animals  may  live  to  old  age  if  not  beguiled  into  pitfalls.  The 
elephants  sometimes  eat  the  crops  of  the  natives,  and  flap  their 
big  ears  just  outside  the  village  stockades.  One  got  out  of  our 
way  on  to  a  comparatively  level  spot,  and  then  stood  and  roared 
at  us.     Elsewhere  they  make  clear  off  at  sight  of  man. 


544  ABOUT    THE   LAKE. 

"  The  first  village  we  came  to  on  the  banks  of  the  lake  had 
a  grove  of  palm-oil  and  other  trees  around  it.  This  palm  tree 
was  not  the  dwarf  species  seen  on  Lake  Nyassa.  A  cluster  of 
the  fruit  passed  the  door  of  my  hut  which  required  two  men  to 
carry  it.  The  fruit  seemed  quite  as  large  as  those  on  the  west 
coast.  Most  of  the  natives  live  on  two  islands,  where  they 
cultivate  the  soil,  rear  goats,  and  catch  fish.  The  lake  is  not 
large — from  fifteen  to  twenty  miles  broad,  and  from  thirty  to 
forty  long.  It  is  the  receptacle  of  four  considerable  streams, 
and  sends  out  an  arm  two  miles  broad  to  the  N.N.W.,  it  is  said 
to  Tanganyika,  and  it  may  be  a  branch  of  that  lake.  One  of 
the  streams,  the  Lonzua,  drives  a  smooth  body  of  water  into 
the  lake  fifty  yards  broad  and  ten  fathoms  deep,  bearing  on  its 
surface  duck-weed  and  grassy  islands.  I  could  see  the  months 
of  other  streams,  but  got  near  enough  to  measure  the  Lofu  only ; 
and  at  a  ford  fifty  miles  from  the  confluence  it  was  one  hundred 
yards  wide  and  waist-deep  in  the  dry  season. 

"  We  remained  six  weeks  on  the  shores  of  the  lake,  trying  to 
pick  up  some  flesh  and  strength.  A  party  of  Arabs  came  into 
Ulungu  after  us  in  search  of  ivory,  and  hearing  that  an  Eng- 
lishman had  preceded  them,  naturally  inquired  where  I  was. 
But  our  friends,  the  Baulungu,  suspecting  that  mischief  was 
meant,  stoutly  denied  that  they  had  ever  seen  anything  of  the 
sort ;  and  then  became  very  urgent  that  I  should  go  on  to  one 
of  the  inhabited  islands  for  safety.  I  regret  that  I  suspected 
them  of  intending  to  make  me  a  prisoner  there,  which  they 
could  easily  have  done  by  removing  the  canoes ;  but  when  the 
villagers  who  deceived  the  Arabs  told  me  afterwards  with  an 
air  of  triumph  how  nicely  they  had  managed,  I  saw  that  they 
had  only  been  anxious  for  my  safety.  On  three  occasions  the 
same  friendly  disposition  was  shown ;  and  when  we  went  round 
tiie  west  side  of  the  lake  in  order  to  examine  the  arm  or  branch 
above  referred  to,  the  head  man  at  the  confluence  of  the  Lofu 
protested  so  strongly  against  my  going — the  Arabs  had  been 
fighting,  and  I  might  be  mistaken  for  an  Arab,  and  killed — 
that  I  felt  half-inclined  to  believe  him. 

"Two  Arab  slaves  entered  the  village  the  same  afternoon  in 
search  of  ivory,  and  confirmed  all  he  had  said.  We  now  altered 
our  course,  intending  to  go  south  about  the  district  disturbed 


PEACE-MAKING.  545 

by  the  Arabs.  When  we  had  gone  sixty  miles  we  heard  that 
tlie  head-quarters  of  the  Arabs  were  twenty-two  miles  farther. 
They  had  found  ivory  very  eheap,  and  pushed  on  to  the  west, 
till  attacked  by  a  chief  named  Nsama,  whom  they  beat  in  his 
own  stockade.  They  were  now  at  a  loss  which  way  to  turn. 
On  reaching  Chitimba's  village  (latitude  8°  57'  55"  south; 
longitude  30°  20'  east),  I  found  them  about  six  hundred  in 
all ;  and,  on  presenting  a  letter  I  had  from  the  Sultan  of  Zan- 
zibar, was  immediately  supplied  with  provisions,  beads,  and 
cloth.  They  approved  of  my  plan  of  passing  to  the  south  of 
Nsama's  country,  but  advised  waiting  till  the  effects  of  punish- 
ment, which  the  Baulungu  had  resolved  to  inflict  on  Nsama 
for  breach  of  public  law,  were  known.  It  had  always  been 
understood  that  whoever  brought  goods  into  the  country  was 
to  be  protected ;  and  two  hours  after  my  arrival  at  Chitimba's, 
the  son  of  Kasonso,  our  guide,  marched  in  with  his  contingent. 
It  was  anticipated  that  Nsama  might  flee ;  if  to  the  north,  he 
would  leave  me  a  free  passage  through  his  country ;  if  to  the 
south,  I  might  be  saved  from  walking  into  his  hands.  But  it 
turned  out  that  Nsama  was  anxious  for  peace.  He  had  sent 
two  men  with  elephants'  tusks  to  begin  a  negotiation;  but 
treachery  was  suspected,  and  they  were  shot  down.  Another 
effort  was  made  with  ten  goats,  and  repulsed.  This  was  much 
to  the  regret  of  the  head  Arabs.  It  was  fortunate  for  me  that 
the  Arab  goods  were  not  all  sold,  for  Lake  Moero  lay  in  Nsama's 
country,  and  without  peace  no  ivory  could  be  bought,  nor  could 
I  reach  the  lake.  The  peace-making  between  the  people  and 
Arabs  was,  however,  a  tedious  process,  occupying  three  and  a 
half  months — drinking  each  other's  blood.  This,  as  I  saw  it 
west  of  this  in  1854,  is  not  more  horrible  than  the  thirtieth 
dilution  of  deadly  night-shade  or  strychnine  is  in  homoeopathy. 
I  thought  that  had  I  been  an  Arab  I  could  easily  swallow 
that,  but  not  the  next  means  of  cementing  the  peace — marrying 
a  black  wife.  Nsama's  daughter  was  the  bride,  and  she  turned 
out  very  pretty.  She  came  riding  pickapack  on  a  man's  shoul- 
ders: this  is  the  most  dignified  conveyance  that  chiefs  and  their 
families  can  command.  She  had  ten  maids  with  her,  each 
carrying  a  basket  of  provisions,  and  all  having  the  same  beau- 
tiful features  as  herself.     She  was  taken  by  the  principal  Arab, 


616  BEAUTIFUL   HEADS. 

but  soon  showed  that  she  preferred  her  father  to  her  husband, 
for  seehig  preparations  made  to  send  off  to  purchase  ivory,  she 
suspected  that  her  father  was  to  be  attacked,  and  made  her  escape. 
I  then  visited  Nsama,  and,  as  he  objected  to  many  people  coming 
near  him,  took  only  three  of  my  eight  attendants.  His  people 
were  very  much  afraid  of  fire-arms,  and  felt  all  my  clothing  to 
see  if  I  had  any  concealed  on  my  person.  Nsama  is  an  old 
man,  with  head  and  face  like  those  sculptured  on  the  Assyrian 
monuments.  He  had  been  a  great  conqueror  in  his  time,  and 
Avith  bows  and  arrows  was  invincible.  He  is  said  to  have  de- 
stroyed many  native  traders  from  Tanganyika,  but  twenty  Arab 
guns  made  him  flee  from  his  own  stockade,  and  caused  a  great 
sensation  in  the  country.  He  was  much  taken  with  my  hair 
and  woollen  clothing ;  but  his  people,  heedless  of  his  scolding,  so 
pressed  upon  us  that  we  could  not  converse,  and,  after  promis- 
ing to  send  for  me  to  talk  during  the  night,  our  interview 
ended.  He  promised  guides  to  Moero,  and  sent  us  more  pro- 
visions than  we  could  carry ;  but  showed  so  much  distrust  that, 
after  all,  we  went  without  his  assistance. 

"  Nsama's  people  are  particularly  handsome.  INIany  of  the 
men  have  as  beautiful  heads  as  one  could  find  in  an  assembly 
of  Europeans.  All  have  very  fine  forms,  with  small  hands  and 
feet.  None  of  the  west  coast  ugliness,  from  which  most  of  our 
ideas  of  the  negroes  are  derived,  is  here  to  be  seen.  No  prog- 
nathous jaws  nor  lark-heels  offended  the  sight.  My  observa- 
tions deepened  the  impression  first  obtained  from  the  remarks 
of  Winwood  Reade,  that  the  typical  negro  is  seen  in  the  ancient 
Egyptian,  and  not  in  the  ungainly  forms  which  grow  up  in  the 
unhealthy  swamps  of  the  west  coast.  Indeed  it  is  probable 
that  this  upland  forest  region  is  the  true  home  of  the  negro. 
The  women  excited  the  admiration  of  the  Arabs.  They  have 
line,  small,  well-formed  features  :  their  great  defect  is  one  of 
ihshion,  which  does  not  extend  to  the  next  tribe  ;  they  file  their 
teeth  to  ])oints,  the  hussies,  and  that  makes  their  smile  like  that 
of  the  crocodile. 

"  Nsama's  country  is  called  Itawa,  and  his  principal  town  is 
in  latitude  8°  55"  south,  and  longitude  29°  21'  east.  From 
the  large  population  he  had  under  him,  Itawa  is  in  many  ])arts 
well  cleared  of  trees  for  cultivation,  and  it  is  lower  than  Ulungu, 


GENTLEMEN  SLAVEllS.  547 

being  generally  about  three  thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  Long 
lines  of  tree-covered  hills,  raised  some  six  or  seven  hundred 
feet  above  these  valleys  of  denudation,  prevent  the  scenery  from 
being  monotonous.  Large  game  is  abundant.  Elephants,  buf- 
faloes, and  zebras  grazed  in  large  numbers  on  the  long  sloping 
banks  of  a  river  called  Chisera,  a  mile  and  a  half  broad.  In 
going  north  we  crossed  this  river,  or  rather  marsh,  which  is  full 
of  papyrus  plants  and  reeds.  Our  ford  was  an  elephant's  path ; 
and  tiie  roots  of  the  papyrus,  though  a  carpet  to  these  animals, 
were  sharp  and  sore  to  feet  usually  protected  by  shoes,  and 
often  made  us  shrink  and  flounder  into  holes  chest-deep.  The 
Chisera  forms  a  larger  marsh  west  of  this,  and  it  gives  off  its 
waters  to  the  Kalongosi,  a  feeder  of  Lake  Moero. 

"The  Arabs  sent  out  men  in  all  directions  to  purchase  Ivory; 
but  their  victory  over  Nsama  had  created  a  panic  among  the 
tribes  which  no  verbal  assurances  could  allay.  If  Nsama  had 
been  routed  by  twenty  Arab  guns  no  one  could  stand  before 
them  but  Casembe ;  and  Casembe  had  issued  strict  orders  to  his 
people  not  to  allow  the  Arabs  who  fought  Nsama  to  enter  his 
country.  They  did  not  attempt  to  force  their  way,  but  after 
sending  friendly  messages  and  presents  to  different  chiefs,  when 
these  were  not  cordially  received,  turned  off  In  some  other  direc- 
tion, and  at  last,  despairing  of  more  ivory,  turned  homewards. 
From  first  to  last  they  were  extremely  kind  to  me,  and  showed 
all  due  respect  to  the  sultan's  letter.  I  am  glad  that  I  was 
witness  to  their  mode  of  trading  in  Ivory  and  slaves.  It  formed 
a  complete  contrast  to  the  atrocious  dealings  of  the  Kilwa  traders, 
Avho  are  supposed  to  be,  but  are  not,  the  subjects  of  the  same 
sultan.  If  one  wished  to  depict  the  slave-trade  in  its  most  attrac- 
tive, or  rather  least  objectionable,  form,  he  would  accompany 
these  gentlemen  subjects  of  the  Sultan  of  Zanzibar.  If  he 
would  describe  the  land  traffic  in  its  most  disgusting  phases, 
he  would  follow  the  Kilwa  traders  along  the  road  to  Nyassa,  or 
the  Portuguese  half-castes  from  Tette  to  the  river  Shire. 

"  Kee))ing  to  the  north  of  Nsama  altogether,  and  moving 
westwards,  our  small  party  reached  the  north  end  of  Moero  on 
the  8th  of  November  last.  There  the  lake  is  a  goodly  piece 
of  water  twelve  or  more  miles  broad,  and  flanked  on  the  east 
and  west  by  ranges  of  lofty  tree-covered  mountains.  The  range 
28 


548  LAKE  MOEEO. 

on  tlic  west  is  the  highest,  and  is  part  of  the  country  called 
Rua-Moero ;  it  gives  off  a  river  at  its  northwest  end  called 
Lualaba,  and  receives  the  river  Kalongosi  (pronounced  by  the 
Arabs  Karungwesi)  on  the  east  near  its  middle,  and  the  rivers 
Luapula  and  Rovukwe  at  its  southern  extremity. 

"  The  point  of  most  interest  in  Lake  Moero  is  that  it  forms 
one  of  a  chain  of  lakes,  connected  by  a  river  some  five  hundred 
miles  in  length.  First  of  all  the  Chambeze  rises  in  the  country 
of  Mambwe,  N.E.  of  Moleraba.  It  then  flows  southwest  and 
west  till  it  reaches  lat.  11°  S.,  and  long.  29°  E.,  where  it  forms 
Lake  Beraba  or  Bangweolo ;  emerging  thence  it  assumes  the 
new  name  Luapula,  and  comes  down  here  to  fall  into  Moero. 
On  going  out  of  this  lake  it  is  known  by  the  name  Lualaba,  as 
it  flows  N.W.  in  Rua  to  form  another  lake  with  many  islands 
called  Urenge  or  Ulenge.  Beyond  this,  information  is  not 
positive  as  to  whether  it  enters  Tanganyika  or  another  lake 
beyond  that.  When  I  crossed  the  Chambeze,  the  similarity  of 
names  led  me  to  imagine  that  this  was  a  branch  of  the  Zambesi. 
The  natives  said  'No.  This  goes  southwest,  and  forms  a  very 
large  water  there.'  But  I  had  become  j)repossessed  with  the  idea 
that  Lake  Lieraba  was  that  Bemba  of  which  I  had  heard  in 
1863,  and  we  had  been  so  starved  in  the  south  that  I  gladly  set 
my  face  north.  The  river-like  prolongation  of  Liemba  might 
go  to  Moero,  and  where  I  could  not  follow  the  arm  of  Liemba. 
Then  I  worked  my  way  to  this  lake.  Since  coming  to  Casembe's 
the  testimony  of  natives  and  Arabs  has  been  so  united  and  con- 
sistent that  I  am  but  ten  days  from  Lake  Bemba,  or  Bangweolo, 
that  I  cannot  doubt  its  accuracy.  I  am  so  tired  of  exploration 
M'ithout  a  word  from  home  or  anywhere  else  for  two  years,  that 
I  must  go  to  Ujiji  on  Tanganyika  for  letters  before  doing  any- 
thing else.  The  banks  and  country  adjacent  to  Lake  Bangweolo 
are  reported  to  be  now  very  muddy  and  very  unhealthy.  I 
have  no  medicine.  The  inhabitants  suffer  greatly  from  swelled 
thyroid  gland  or  Derbyshire  neck  and  elephantiasis,  and  this  is 
the  rainy  season  and  very  unsafe  for  me. 

"  When  at  the  lower  end  of  Moero  we  were  so  near  Casembe 
that  it  was  thought  well  to  ascertain  the  length  of  the  lake,  and 
see  Casembe  too.  We  came  up  between  the  double  range  that 
flanks  the  east  of  the  lake;  but  mountains  and  plains  are  so 


CAZE^IBE  IK   STATE   PRESS. 


RECEPTION   AT   CASEMBE  S.  551 

covered  with  well-grown  forest  that  we  coiiUl  seldom  see  it. 
We  reached  Casembe's  town  on  the  28th  November.  It  stands 
near  the  north  end  of  the  Lakelet  Mofwe ;  this  is  from  one  to 
three  miles  broad,  and  some  six  or  seven  long :  it  is  full  of  sedgy 
islands,  and  abounds  in  fish.  The  country  is  quite  level,  but 
fifteen  or  twenty  miles  west  of  Mofwe  we  see  a  long  range  of 
the  mountains  of  Rua.  Between  this  range  and  Mofwe  the 
Luapula  flows  past  into  Moero,  the  lake  called  Mocro  okata  = 
the  great  Moero,  being  about  fifty  miles  long.  The  town  of 
Casembe  covers  a  mile  square  of  cassava  plantations,  the  huts 
being  dotted  over  that  space.  Some  have  square  enclosures  of 
reeds,  but  no  attempt  has  been  made  at  arrangement :  it  might 
be  called  a  rural  village  rather  than  a  town.  No  estimate 
could  be  formed  by  counting  the  huts,  they  were  so  irregularly 
planted,  and  hidden  by  cassava ;  but  my  impression  from  other 
collections  of  huts  was  that  the  population  was  under  a  thousand 
souls.  The  court  or  compound  of  Casembe — some  would  call 
it  a  palace — is  a  square  enclosure  of  three  hundred  yards  by  two 
hundred  yards.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  hedge  of  high  reeds. 
Inside,  Avhere  Casembe  honored  me  with  a  grand  reception, 
stands  a  gigantic  hut  for  Casembe,  and  a  score  of  small  huts  for 
domesties.  The  queen's  hut  stands  behind  that  of  the  chief, 
with  a  number  of  small  huts  also.  Most  of  the  enclosed  space 
is  covered  with  a  plantation  of  cassava,  Curcus  purgaris,  and 
cotton.  Casembe  sat  before  his  hut  on  a  square  seat  placed  on 
lion  and  leopard  skins.  He  was  clothed  in  a  coarse  blue  and 
white  Manchester  print  edged  with  red  baize,  and  arranged  in 
large  folds  so  as  to  look  like  a  crinoline  put  on  wrong  side  fore- 
most. His  arms,  legs  and  head  were  covered  with  sleeves, 
leggings  and  cap  made  of  various  colored  beads  in  neat  patterns : 
a  crown  of  yellow  feathers  surmounted  his  cap.  Each  of  his 
head  men  came  forward,  shaded  by  a  huge,  ill-made  umbrella, 
and  followed  by  his  dependents,  made  obeisance  to  Casembe, 
and  sat  down  on  his  right  and  left:  various  bands  of  musicians 
did  the  same.  When  called  upon  I  rose  and  bowed,  and  an 
old  counsellor,  with  his  ears  cropped,  gave  the  chief  as  full  an 
account  as  he  had  been  able  to  gather  during  our  stay  of  the 
English  in  general,  and  my  antecedents  in  particular.  My 
having  passed  through  Lunda  to  the  west  of  Casembe,  and  vis- 


552  INTERVIEW   WITH   CASEMBE. 

ited  chiefs  of  whom  he  scarcely  knew  anything,  excited  most 
attention.  He  then  assured  me  that  I  was  welcome  to  his 
country,  to  go  where  I  liked,  and  do  what  I  chose.  We  then 
went  (two  boys  carrying  his  train  behind  him)  to  an  inner 
apartment,  where  the  articles  of  my  present  were  exhibited  in 
detail.  He  had  examined  them  privately  before,  and  we  knew 
that  he  was  satisfied.  They  consisted  of  eight  yards  of  orange- 
colored  serge,  a  large  striped  tablecloth ;  another  large  cloth 
made  at  Manchester  in  imitation  of  west  coast  native  manufac- 
ture, which  never  fails  to  excite  the  admiration  of  Arabs  and 
natives,  and  a  large  richly  gilded  comb  for  the  back  hair,  such 
as  ladies  wore  fifty  years  ago  :  this  was  given  to  me  by  a  friend 
at  Liverpool,  and  as  Casembe  and  Nsama's  people  cultivate  the 
hair  into  large  knobs  behind,  I  was  sure  that  this  article  would 
tickle  the  fancy.  Casembe  expressed  himself  pleased,  and  again 
bade  me  welcome. 

"I  had  another  interview,  and  tried  to  dissuade  him  from 
selling  his  people  as  slaves.  He  listened  a  while,  then  broke  off 
into  a  tirade  on  the  greatness  of  his  country,  his  power  and 
dominion,  which  Mohamad  bin  Saleh,  who  has  been  here  for 
ten  years,  turned  into  ridicule,  and  made  the  audience  laugh  by 
telling  how  other  Lunda  chiefs  had  given  me  oxen  and  sheep, 
while  Casembe  had  only  a  poor  little  goat  and  some  fish  to 
bestow.  He  insisted  also  that  there  were  but  two  sovereigns  in 
the  world,  the  Sultan  of  Zanzibar  and  Victoria.  When  we 
went  on  a  third  occasion  to  bid  Casembe  farewell,  he  was  much 
less  distant,  and  gave  me  the  impression  that  I  could  soon  be- 
come friends  with  him ;  but  he  has  an  ungainly  look,  and  an 
outward  squint  in  each  eye.  A  number  of  human  skulls 
adorned  the  entrance  to  his  courtyard  ;  and  great  numbers  of 
his  principal  men  ha\nng  their  ears  cropped,  and  some  with 
their  hands  lopped  off',  showed  his  barbarous  way  of  making  his 
ministers  attentive  and  honest.  I  could  not  avoid  indulging  a 
prejudice  against  him. 

*'  The  Portuguese  visited  Casembe  long  ago ;  but  as  each  new 
Casembe  builds  a  new  town,  it  is  not  easy  to  fix  on  the  exact 
spot  to  which  strangers  came.  The  last  seven  Casembes  have 
had  their  towns  within  seven  miles  of  the  present  one.  Dr. 
Lacerda,  Governor  of  Tette,  on  the  Zambesi,  was  the  only  vis- 


FORMEE  CASEMBES.  553 

itor  of  scientific  attainments,  and  he  died  at  the  rivulet  called 
Chungu,  three  or  four  miles  from  this.  The  spot  is  called 
Nshinda,  or  Inchinda,  which  the  Portuguese  wrote  Lucenda, 
or  Ucenda.  The  latitude  given  is  nearly  fifty  miles  wrong,  but 
the  natives  say  that  he  lived  only  ten  days  after  his  arrival,  and 
if,  as  is  probable,  his  mind  was  clouded  with  fever  when  he  last 
observed,  those  who  have  experienced  what  that  is  will  readily 
excuse  any  mistake  he  may  have  made.  His  object  was  to  ac- 
complish a  much-desired  project  of  the  Portuguese  to  have  an 
overland  communication  between  their  eastern  and  western 
possessions.  This  was  never  made  by  any  of  the  Portuguese 
nation ;  but  two  black  traders  succeeded  partially  with  a  part 
of  the  distance,  crossing  once  from  Cassange,  in  Angola,  to 
Tette  on  the  Zambesi,  and  returning  with  a  letter  from  the 
Governor  of  Mosambique.  It  is  remarkable  that  this  journey, 
which  was  less  by  a  thousand  miles  than  from  sea  to  sea  and 
back  again,  should  have  forever  quenched  all  white  Portuguese 
aspirations  for  an  overland  route. 

"The  different  Casembes  visited  by  the  Portuguese  seem  to 
have  varied  much  in  character  and  otherwise.  Pereira,  the  first 
visitor,  said  (I  quote  from  memory)  that  Casembe  had  twenty 
thousand  trained  soldiers,  watered  his  streets  daily,  and  sacrificed 
twenty  human  victims  every  day.  I  could  hear  nothing  of 
human  sacrifices  now,  and  it  is  questionable  if  the  present 
Casembe  could  bring  a  thousand  stragglers  into  the  field. 
When  he  usurped  power  five  years  ago,  his  country  was  densely 
peopled ;  but  he  was  so  severe  in  his  punishments — cropping 
the  ears,  lopping  off  the  hands,  and  other  mutilations,  selling 
the  children,  for  very  slight  offences,  that  his  subjects  gradually 
dispersed  themselves  in  the  neighboring  countries  beyond  his 
power.  This  is  the  common  mode  by  which  tyranny  is  cured 
in  parts  like  these,  where  fugitives  are  never  returned.  The 
present  Casembe  is  very  poor.  When  he  had  people  who  killed 
elephants  he  was  too  stingy  to  share  the  profits  of  the  sale  of 
the  ivory  with  his  subordinates.  The  elephant  hunters  have 
either  left  him  or  neglect  hunting,  so  he  has  now  no  tusks  to 
sell  to  the  Arab  traders  who  come  from  Tanganyika.  Major 
Monteiro,  the  third  Portuguese  who  visited  Casembe,  apj)ears 
to  have  been  badly  treated  by  this  man's  predecessor,  and  no 


554  A   HOT   FOUNTAIN. 

other  of  his  nation  has  ventured  so  far  since.  They  do  not  lose 
much  by  remaining  away,  for  a  little  ivory  and  slaves  are  all 
that  Casern  be  ever  can  have  to  sell.  About  a  month  to  the  west 
of  this  the  people  of  Katanga  smelt  copper-ore  (malachite)  into 
large  bars  shaped  like  the  capital  letter  I.  They  may  be  met 
with  of  from  fifty  pounds  to  one  hundred  pounds  weight  all 
over  the  country,  and  the  inhabitants  draw  the  copper  into  wire 
for  armlets  and  leglets.  Gold  is  also  found  at  Katanga,  and 
specimens  were  lately  sent  to  the  Sultan  of  Zanzibar. 

"As  we  come  down  from  the  watershed  towards  Tanganyika 
we  enter  an  area  of  the  earth's  surface  still  disturbed  by  internal 
igneous  action.  A  hot  fountain  in  the  country  of  Nsama  is 
often  used  to  boil  cassava  and  maize.  Earthquakes  are  by  no 
means  rare.  We  experienced  the  shock  of  one  while  at  Chitim- 
ba's  village,  and  they  extend  as  far  as  Casembe's.  I  felt  as  if 
afloat,  and  as  huts  would  not  fall  there  was  no  sense  of  danger ; 
some  of  them  that  happened  at  night  set  the  fowls  a  cackling. 
The  most  remarkable  effect  of  this  one  was  that  it  changed  the 
rates  of  the  chronometei-s ;  no  rain  fell  after  it.  No  one  had 
access  to  the  chronometers  but  myself,  and,  as  I  had  never 
heard  of  this  eifect  before,  I  may  mention  that  one  which  lost 
with  great  regularity  TS  daily,  lost  15";  another,  whose  rate 
since  leaving  the  coast  was  15',  lost  40';  and  a  third,  which 
gained  6'  daily,  stopped  altogether.  Some  of  Nsama's  people 
ascribed  the  earthquakes  to  the  hot  fountain,  because  it  showed 
unusual  commotion  on  these  occasions;  another  hot  fountain 
exists  nearer  Tanganyika  than  Nsama's,  and  we  passed  one  on 
the  shores  of  Moero, 

"  Vie  could  not  understand  why  the  natives  called  ^loero 
much  larger  than  Tanganyika  till  we  saw  both.  The  greater 
lake  lies  in  a  comparatively  narrow  trough,  with  high  land  on 
eaeli  side,  which  is  always  visible ;  but  when  we  look  at  INIoero, 
to  the  south  of  the  mountains  of  Rua,  on  the  west,  we  have 
nothing  but  an  apparently  boundless  sea  horizon.  The  Luapula 
and  Rovukwe  form  a  marsh  at  the  southern  extremity,  and 
Gasembe  dissuaded  me  from  entering  it,  but  sent  a  man  to  guide 
me  to  different  points  of  Moero  farther  down.  From  the 
heights  at  which  the  southern  portions  were  seen,  it  must  be 
from  forty  to  sixty  miles  broad.     From  the  south  end  of  the 


VALUABLE    PRODUCTS.  555 

mountains  of  Rua  (9°  4'  south  lat.)  it  is  tliirty-three  miles 
broad.  No  native  ever  attempts  to  cross  it  even  there.  Its 
fisheries  are  of  great  vahie  to  the  inhabitants,  and  the  produce 
is  carried  to  great  distances. 

"Among  the  vegetable  products  of  this  region,  that  which 
interested  me  most  was  a  sort  of  potato.  It  does  not  belong  to 
the  solanaceous,  but  to  the  papilionaceous  or  pea  family,  and  its 
flowers  have  a  delightful  fragrance.  It  is  easily  propagated  by 
small  cuttings  of  the  root  or  stalk.  The  tuber  is  oblong,  like 
our  kidney  potato,  and  when  boiled  tastes  exactly  like  our  com- 
mon potato.  When  unripe  it  has  a  slight  degree  of  bitterness, 
and  it  is  believed  to  be  wholesome ;  a  piece  of  the  root  eaten 
raw  is  a  good  remedy  in  nausea.  It  is  met  with  on  the  uplands 
alone,  and  seems  incapable  of  bearing  much  heat,  though  I  kept 
some  of  the  roots  without  earth  in  a  box,  which  was  carried  in 
the  sun  almost  daily  for  six  months,  without  destroying  their 
vegetative  power. 

"  It  is  remarkable  that  in  all  the  central  regions  of  Africa 
visited,  the  cotton  is  that  known  as  the  Pernambuco  variety. 
It  has  a  long  strong  staple,  seeds  clustered  together,  and  ad- 
herent to  each  other.  The  bushes,  eight  or  ten  feet  high, 
have  woody  stems,  and  the  people  make  strong  striped  black 
and  white  shawls  of  the  cotton. 

"  It  was  pleasant  to  meet  the  palm-oil  palm  {Elais  Guinea- 
ensis)  at  Casembe's,  which  is  over  three  thousand  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  sea.  The  oil  is  sold  cheap,  but  no  tradition  exists 
of  its  introduction  into  the  country. 

"  I  send  no  sketch  of  the  country,  because  I  have  not  yet 
passed  over  a  sufficient  surface  to  give  a  connected  view  of  the 
whole  watershed  of  this  region,  and  I  regret  that  I  cannot 
recommend  any  of  the  published  maps  I  have  seen  as  giving 
even  a  tolerable  idea  of  the  country.  One  bold  constructor  of 
maps  has  tacked  on  two  hundred  miles  to  the  northwest  end  of 
I>ake  Nyassa,  a  feat  which  no  traveller  has  ever  ventured  to 
imitate.  Another  has  placed  a  river  in  the  same  quarter,  run- 
ning three  thousand  or  four  thousand  feet  up  hill,  and  named  it 
the  'New  Zambesi,'  because,  I  suppose,  the  old  Zambesi  runs 
down  hill.     I  have  walked  over  both  these  mental  abortions, 


556  TURNING  TOWARD   UJIJI. 

and  did  not  know  that  I  was  walking  on  water  till  I  saw  them 
in  the  maps." 

The  letter  breaks  of  here  abruptly.  In  reading  it  how  we 
are  tempted  to  lament  the  dispensation  which  called  him  from 
earth  before  he  had  been  allowed  to  present  to  the  world  from 
his  own  pen  the  connected  story  of  this  great  expedition. 

After  spending  a  month  in  his  town  the  doctor  said  good-bye 
to  Casembe,  and  set  out  on  the  22d  of  December,  in  company 
Avith  Mohamad  bin  Saleh,  for  Ujiji.  Making  several  days 
journey  from  Casembe,  the  party  halted  at  a  little  village  called 
Kabukwa,  on  a  parallel  Avith  a  large  island  in  the  lake  called 
Kirwa.  It  was  the  last  day  of  the  year,  and  the  great  man 
looked  wearily  before  him,  opj)ressed  with  the  uncertainty  of 
his  living  to  read  the  letters  he  hoped  to  find  at  Ujiji;  he  was 
sick  too.  His  only  food  for  some  time  had  been  coarsely  ground 
sorghum  meal.  How  natural  it  was  for  him  to  make  this  little 
note  in  his  journal : 

"  Mohamad  presented  a  meal  of  finely  ground  porridge,  and 
a  fowl,  and  I  immediately  felt  the  diflerence,  though  I  was  not 
grumbling  at  my  coarse  dishes." 


A  FOREST   GUAYE. 


CHAPTER    XXVI. 

1868. 

"Only  "Water" — Native  Indifference — Charms  of  Moero — Lake  Scenery— In- 
difference of  Arabs — Covetousness — The  Only  Lesson  Learned — Kabwabwati — 
Dreadful  March— Evils  of  being  with  Arabs — Livingstone's  Influence — Thiev- 
ing Slaves — A  Dead  Halt — Long  Delay — Yankees  of  Africa — Duplicity  of 
Mohamad — Desertion  of  Followers — Livingstone'sCharity— Questionable  Char- 
ity—Justice  as  well  as  Mercy — Arab  Trouble-makers — Mohammedanism  Not 
Taught — Not  Adapted  to  Elevate  Heathen — Christianity  a  Missionary  Creed — 
Powerlessness  of  Ceremonies— Power  of  the  Word — Africans  Curious  and  Cau- 
tious— They  Need  the  Gospel — Obligation  of  Christians — Dulness  of  Kabwab- 
wati— Livingstone  turns  South— Arrives  at  Casembe's— Cordial  Keception — 
Pleasing  Recollections — Deliverances — Leopard  Hunt— J  Discovery — Cropped- 
Eared  Pest  —  Casembe's  Kindness  —  Mohamad  Bogharib — Starting  for  Lake 
Bemba — Discovery  of  the  Great  Lake — Description  of  it — Lake  Surroundings — 
Wanyamwezi— Northward  Again— Commotions — War — Delays — Reach  Kab- 
wabwati—Abominations  of  Slave-Trade — Battle — Evils  in  Camp — Wanyam- 
wezi Women  During  a  Battle — Weariness- Christmas,  January  31st,  1868. 

There  was  compensation  in  the  lake  for  all  the  weariness 
and  the  want.  It  was  only  water ;  the  native  tribes  and  trading 
Arabs  alike  pronounced  it  so.  And  there  was  water  everywhere. 
They  never  thought  of  the  beauty  of  its  broad  surface  mirrow- 
ing  the  lofty  mountains,  which  seemed  to  look  down  with  so 
much  pride  on  their  nestling;  and  they  never  thought  of  th^ 
grandeur,  when  their  eyes  rested  on  the  mighty  waters  rushing 
away  through  the  deep  rent  in  the  mountains  on  the  north, 
gathering  new  strength  and  impetuosity  in  the  rocky  chasm, 
leaping  and  roaring  in  the  wildness  and  gladness  of  their 
release ;  and  they  never  cared  where  the  waters  came  from,  and 
thought  no  more  of  the  river  which  flowed  into  the  lake  on  the 
south  than  of  any  other  river.  All  of  these  things  engaged  the 
thought  of  Livingstone,  and  wove  themselves  in  a  resistless 
spell  about  him.  His  journal,  in  its  brevity,  only  hints  of  the 
delight  with  which  he  strolled  along  the  shores  of  Moero.  In 
the  freedom  of  conversation  with  Mr.  Stanley  years  after,  he 

557 


558  SCENERY  ON  LAKE   MOERO. 

dwelt  with  enthusiasm  on  its  charming  scenery,  and  we  will  see 
by-and-by,  how  important  a  place  its  waters  held  in  his  theory 
of  the  hidden  foQutains,  which  the  curious  world  has  been  seek- 
ing during  so  many  thousand  years.  Standing  on  the  north 
in  the  clearest  day,  with  a  strong  glass,  he  says  ho  could  not 
see  its  southern  shore ;  but  it  was  narrower,  and  the  eye  could 
wander  between  the  lofty  ranges  on  the  east  and  west,  resting, 
as  it  pleased,  on  the  lake.  The  ranges  which  confine  it  are  only 
twelve  or  fourteen  miles  apart  at  the  more  northern  portion, 
diverging  as  they  extend  southward,  to  embrace  a  broad  valley 
across  which  various  streamlets  and  rivers  winding  slowly 
bring  their  offerings  as  to  a  queen.  Along  the  shores,  between 
the  mountain  and  the  water,  the  humidity  has  encouraged  the 
ginger  and  ferns  to  marvellous  profusion,  and  splendid  tropical 
forests  cloth  the  valley,  and  lend  their  canopy  of  shade  to  herds 
of  sporting  zebras,  groups  of  drowsy  elephants,  and  monstrous 
buffaloes,  and  in  their  deeper  gloom  conceal  the  lion's  lair,  and 
the  stealthy  leopard,  waiting  to  surprise  his  prey.  It  is  strange 
that  such  a  spot  could  never  tempt  the  Arab  from  his  bloody 
path  to  gaze  a  while,  and  if  he  came  there,  it  is  wonderful  that 
the  tuition  of  the  scene  could,  not  kindle  loftier  thoughts  than 
his  dull  brooding  on  unholy  wealth.  It  is  saddest  of  all  to 
think  upon,  that  in  the  fall  of  man,  his  soul  was  so  enslaved  of 
selfishness,  that  all  the  charms  of  nature  and  the  grace  of  God 
cannot  call  away  his  greedy  thought  from  gain.  The  tribes 
dwelling  about  the  shores  of  the  lake  had  become  thoroughly 
infected  by  the  Arab  spirit,  and  would  lie  or  steal,  or  fight  for 
the  most  trifling  chance  to  fleece  a  traveller.  The  doctor  had  a 
bit  of  experience  with  them  in  crossing  the  Kalongosi  river, 
which  forms  the  northern  boundary  of  Casembe's  country  ;  the 
people  of  the  village  on  its  bank  were  at  first  the  impersonations 
of  loyalty,  and  protested  that  they  could  not  convey  any  of  the 
party  out  of  the  country  fijr  fear  of  displeasing  the  chief;  but 
their  scruples  yielded  readily,  when  a  fee  was  suggested,  and 
from  absolute  refusal  to  carry  him  over,  the  patriots  almost 
came  to  blows  in  competition  for  the  doubtful  service.  The 
foreign  influence  which  had  been  brought  to  bear  on  these  un- 
happy people  had  not  given  them  loftier  thoughts  ;  if  they  were 
not  entirely  absorbed,  still  in  eating  and  drinking  it  was  hardly 


UNFORTUNATE   ASSOCIATIONS.  561 

l)ctter  to  be  imitating  only  that  meanest  possible  trait  of  a 
higlier  manhood  which  was  displayed  iu  the  covetousuess  of  the 
Arab  traders. 

Between  the  lake  and  the  village  of  Muabo,  which  is  distin- 
guished by  the  strikingly  euphonious  name  Kabwabwati,  there 
was  an  extensive  plain  which  the  rains  had  flooded,  and  there 
was  no  avoiding  it.  The  mud  was  generally  ankle-deep,  and 
for  four  long  hours  the  sick  and  hungry  man  dragged  along  this 
dreadful  path,  whose  horrors  were  varied  only  by  the  occasional 
iucideut  of  stepping  into  the  deep  track  of  the  elephant.  But 
^\  hen  the  Luao  was  reached  the  wading  became  more  serious, 
and  for  a  full  quarter  of  a  mile  the  water  flowed  quite  waist- 
deep.  This  stream,  like  many  of  those  of  Africa,  imparts  won- 
derful fertility  to  its  border  lands  by  its  regular  overflows ;  but 
the  people  must  accept  the  benefits  they  receive  as  the  price  of 
health  and  comfort.  The  inhabitants  seemed  exceedingly  sus- 
picious of  the  travellers,  and  often  closed  the  gates  of  their  stock- 
ades on  their  approach.  On  some  accounts  it  may  have  seemed 
a  providential  thing  that  Livingstone  had  fallen  into  the  com- 
pany of  Arab  traders  :  it  seemed  to  be  a  protection  to  him.  But 
we  can  not  suppress  our  regret  that  he  could  not  have  continued 
entirely  separated  from  them  that  his  life  might  have  stood  out 
before  the  people  among  whom  he  passed  in  unclouded  contrast 
with  that  unprincipled  class.  It  was  hardly  to  be  expected  of 
the  ignorant  natives  that  they  would  distinguish  nicely  between 
the  character  of  men  travelling  as  companions,  or  be  very  much 
impressed  with  the  professions  of  generosity  and  love  of  Dr. 
Livingstone,  while  by  his  side  sat  men  who  acknowledged  no 
creed  but  self-interest,  and  were  held  in  dread  and  detestation. 
It  is  a  striking  evidence  of  the  singular  capacity  of  Livingstone 
for  his  chosen  work,  that  at  so  great  a  disadvantage  he  still  suc- 
ceeded in  winning  the  confidence  and  friendship  of  so  many  of 
the  rude  residents  of  these  distrustful  villages.  It  was  only  by 
the  most  constant  vigilance  that  he  could  do  it.  The  slaves  of 
^lohamad  were  continually  stealing  something  from  the  patches 
by  the  way,  which,  though  of  trifling  value,  must  be  returned. 

Kabwabwati  was  reached  on  the  16th  of  January,  in  the 
midst  of  the  rainy  season.  The  plain  which  he  had  already 
crossed  was  hardly  a  specimen  of  the  condition  of  vast  tracts  of 


562  YANKEES    OF   AFRICA. 

country  between  Kabwabwati  and  Ujiji  at  such  a  season,  and 
he  soon  learned  that  an  inevitable  delay  confronted  him. 

The  town  in  which  he  had  this  gloomy  prospect  presented  an 
unusually  motley  appearance,  and  cherished  ills  of  darker  shade 
than  belong  to  a  purely  African  village.  Indeed,  it  was  only 
wiiere  the  native  African  had  been  corrupted  by  unprincipled 
agents  of  the  outside  world  that  Dr.  Livingstone  experienced 
much  difficulty,  except  such  as  was  inseparable  from  his  manner 
of  life  and  his  purposes.  This  place  was  a  principal  depot  in 
the  Arab  trade.  One  of  old  Mohamad's  sons  lived  there,  and 
liis  subjects  made  a  great  demonstration  on  the  approach  of  the 
old  man.  Besides  the  Arabs,  there  were  present  in  the  town 
a  number  of  Wanyamwezi,  those  "  born  traders  of  central  Africa," 
who  are  described  so  ably  by  Mr.  Stanley  as  the  "  Yankees  of 
Africa,"  the  invariable  attendants  of  Arab  expeditions.  These, 
added  to  the  natives  of  the  town,  made  a  population  as  unprom- 
ising as  could  be  desired.  The  universal  testimony  was,  how- 
ever, that  it  was  impossible  to  reach  the  Tanganyika  during  the 
rainy  season.  The  low  lands  were  all  flooded  and  in  many 
places  would  be  found  deeper  than  a  man's  head.  If  the  doctor 
had  only  known  this  while  at  Casembe's  he  might  have  remained 
tliere,  which  would  have  been  infinitely  preferable  if  he  must 
be  delayed ;  but  he  had  hastened  from  them,  and  turned  his  back 
on  the  Lake  Bangweolo  in  his  eagerness  to  reach  Ujiji.  And  it 
was  exceeding  unpleasant  to  know  that  he  had  been  deceived 
into  this  mistake  by  Mohamad.  Those  who  are  peculiarly 
sincere  themselves  are  more  easily  the  victims  of  insincerity. 
The  most  generous  are  often  the  readiest  prey  of  the  selfish. 
Much  as  Dr.  Livingstone  had  travelled,  and  skilful  as  he  may 
have  been  in  analyzing  human  nature,  his  own  actions  always 
displayed  the  frank,  almost  childlike,  l)eauty  of  simplicity  and 
confidence.  So  far  was  he  from  meriting  suspicion,  he  could 
suspect  no  one. 

The  old  man  who  had  welcomed  him  so  cordially  at  Casembe's, 
and  who  professed  great  pleasure  in  the  hope  of  having  his  com- 
pany to  Ujiji,  who  seemed  to  ])ostpone  his  own  departure  in 
regard  for  the  wishes  of  Livingstone,  had  really  been  a  prisoner 
at  large  in  the  town  many  years,  and  had  only  seized  the  occasion 
presented  by  the  coming  of  an  Englishman  to  secure  his  release. 


DESERTED   BY   FOLLOWERS.  563 

This  his  Arab  shrewdness  found  means  to  accomplish.  The 
chieftain  had  been  brought  somehow  to  associate  his  prisoner 
with  the  visitor,  and  to  understand  that  his  release  would  be  a 
special  favor  to  Livingstone.  The  deception  which  he  had 
practised  might  have  found  some  justification  in  the  judgment 
of  charity  on  the  ground  of  his  being  so  weary  of  his  long 
imprisonment,  even  though  it  had  occasioned  sucli  inconvenience 
and  loss  of  time  to  his  deliverer;  but  the  unqualified  depravity 
of  his  character  w^as  exhibited  in  the  secret  influence  he  exerted 
on  the  minds  of  the  few  followers  of  the  man  to  whom  he  owed 
his  liberty.  The  doctor  was  wholly  unconscious  of  this  until  he 
had  been  nearly  three  months  at  Kabwabwati.  He  then  deter- 
mined to  return  southward  to  Casembe,  and  go  on  if  possible 
to  Lake  Bemba  before  going  to  Ujiji.  To  his  utter  astonish- 
ment liis  men  refused  to  go;  even  Susi  and  Chuma,  as  he  after- 
ward told  Mr.  Stanley,  deserted  him  for  a  time.  It  then 
appeared  that  the  Arab  had  been  improving  those  months  to 
sow  discontent  in  the  minds  of  these  faithful  men,  that  he  might 
join  tliem  to  himself. 

Dr.  Livingstone  was  very  generous  in  his  judgment  on  the 
conduct  of  his  men.  "  They  were  tired,"  he  said ;  two  long 
years  they  had  been  following  him  about  the  land ;  they  were 
not  interested  in  the  great  problem  which  summoned  all  his 
energies ;  they  knew  nothing  of  the  heavenly  inspiration  which 
moved  him  to  sacrifice  himself  for  the  well-being  of  that  heathen 
world :  it  was  a  beautiful  generosity :  it  was  like  the  man. 
But  it  strains  our  charity  considerably  to  sign  his  moderate 
sentence  upon  Mohamad.  Men  are  to  be  pitied  for  their  wicked- 
ness, but  the  totalness  of  depravity  cannot  be  its  apology.  It 
is  not  easily  decided  precisely  where  human  judgment  may  be- 
come severe,  but  it  may  be  questioned  whether  the  highest  good 
of  the  guilty  himself  is  not  sacrificed  sometimes  to  the  joy  the 
Christian  has  in  tenderness  and  charity.  Nothing  is  more 
fascinating  in  human  character  than  the  capacity  which  God's 
Spirit  gives  to  rise  above  resentment.  We  love  to  contemplate 
the  marvellous  grace  of  God ;  we  can  gaze  upon  it  without 
comprehending  it  and  be  glad,  but  the  majesty  of  his  justice  is 
there  as  well ;  in  our  weakness  we  cannot  fully  harmonize  these 
attributes.     The  brow  of  justice  seems  harsh  ;  we  cannot  com- 


564  MOHAMMEDANISM    AND   CHRISTIANITY. 

prehend  its  completeness  now,  and  therefore  we  cannot  realize 
its  beauty  ;  and  because  we  cannot,  we  shrink  from  it.  It  may 
be  that  decided  and  severe  condemnation  of  a  transgressor  is  not 
so  inconsistent  with  the  proper  Christian  spirit  as  we  sometimes 
think  it  is. 

Whatever  we  decide  about  it,  the  mischievous  Mohamads  will 
go  on  making  trouble  for  everybody  in  Africa,  until  the  nobler 
influences  of  a  truer  civilization  than  that  they  so  poorly  repre- 
sent, at  second  hand,  have  raised  the  victims  of  their  unscrupulous 
cupidity  above  a  price  that  they  can  offer,  and  they  are  com- 
pelled to  retire  before  the  growing  brightness  of  a  light  they  have 
not  sought  to  kindle  with  their  Koran,  and  could  not  if  they 
would.  They  have  extended  their  influence  over  vast  extents  of 
African  territory,  and  have  preserved  every wdiere  their  distinc- 
tive customs,  dress  and  religion.  The  Koran  is  their  oracle; 
out  of  its  pages  they  draw  all  their  decisions,  from  the  most 
trivial  to  the  gravest.  But  they  have  not  seemed  concerned  to 
diffuse  their  religion  among  the  natives  of  the  country,  and  old 
Mohamad  bin  Saleh,  who  with  all  his  villany  was  a  devout 
Mohammedan  and  quite  intelligent,  assured  Dr.  Livingstone 
that  no  attempt  had  ever  been  made  to  proselytize  the  Africans. 
The  Koran  is  never  translated  ;  the  Arabs  never  feel  themselves 
called  on  to  propagate  their  doctrines:  they  are  only  traders. 
It  is  idle,  therefore,  for  any  traveller,  even  one  so  honorably 
associated  with  African  exploration  as  Captain  Burton,  to  inti- 
mate that  they  would  be  bettor  missionaries  for  Africa  than 
Christians,  only  because  their  Koran  would  not  bring  them  in 
conflict  with  the  prevailing  polygamous  custom  of  the  country. 
The  religion  which  accommodates  itself  to  the  prejudices  of  a 
people  will  not  more  easily  obtain  authority  over  them. 

The  absolute  antagonism  of  Christianity  for  every  unholy 
disposition  of  man,  bringing  it  face  to  face  with  all  Ids  preju- 
dices, has  been  a  conspicuous  element  of  its  power.  Such  is 
human  nature,  that  the  most  radical  measures  are  the  most 
effectual  in  their  reformations ;  and  the  remarkable  indifference 
of  the  African  to  the  creed  of  the  Arab  Mohammedan,  while  he 
is  always  curious  about  Christianity,  is  an  illustration,  at  hand, 
of  the  folly  of  the  idea  of  modifying  the  requirements  of  the 
gospel  to  suit  the  particular  conditions  of  particular  communities, 


THE  OPEN   BIBLE.  565 

that  the  people  may  be  brought  gradually  to  the  absolute  ex- 
cellence of  the  divine  law.  It  is  the  very  genius  of  the  gos])el 
that  men  be  convicted  of  sin,  by  the  dreadful  contrast  of  them- 
selves with  God,  while  the  marvellous  purity  of  his  law  is  flashed 
upon  their  depravity. 

But  whatever  the  possibilities  might  be,  the  indifference  of 
the  followers  of  Islam  seals  the  utter  worthlessness  of  Moham- 
medanism as  an  agency  of  civilization,  even  to  say  nothing  of 
saving  men.  It  is  indispensable  that  the  missionary  have  it  in 
his  heart  to  win  men  to  his  creed  or  his  purposes.  Christianity 
is  more  intensely  concerned  about  that  than  the  religions  of  the 
heathen,  because  the  conviction  of  its  absolute  and  universal 
importance  to  mankind  is  inseparable  from  it.  Wherever  there 
is  a  Christian  he  feels  that  every  other  man  ought  to  be  one,  and, 
as  between  heaven  and  hell,  seeks  to  have  them  so. 

It  is  naturally  supposed  by  many  that  the  African  is  peculiarly 
susceptible  to  the  influence  of  formula  and  ceremonies,  but  the 
experience  of  the  Mohammedans,  whose  forms  and  ceremonies, 
displayed  in  indifference,  have  been  unheeded,  and  the  experience 
of  the  Roman  Catholics,  whose  wonderful  zeal  has  been  insuf- 
ficient to  awaken  an  interest  in  their  pageantry  and  their 
mummeries,  contradict  the  supposition.  Ignorant  as  they  may 
be.  Dr.  Livingstone's  experience  was,  that  the  Africans  always 
wanted  to  know  what  they  were  about.  It  was  tlie  mistake  of 
Mohammedan  and  Catholic  that  both  carried  a  sealed  book  in 
their  hand,  and  the  power  of  Christianity  was  manifestly  to  a 
great  extent  in  its  open  Bible.  Wherever  that  wonderful  book, 
or  any  part  of  it,  is  given  them,  or  its  teachings  are  read  to  them 
in  their  own  language,  the  deepest  interest  is  awakened.  And 
even  when  their  ungodly  passions  arise  in  rebellion  against  it, 
it  is  the  theme  of  their  conversation.  God  hasten  the  day  when 
his  word  may  be  in  the  mother  tongue  of  all  those  tribes,  and 
his  mighty  power  be  seen  in  their  holy  living  and  felt  in  their 
peaceful  hearts.  Oh,  how  they  need  it! — oppressed  with  all 
superstitions,  imprisoned  in  ignorance  and  despised  by  men  ! 

Naturally  enough,  their  superstition  is  always  most  active 
about  the  grave.  Death  is  full  of  terrors  to  them.  They  have 
many  foolish  ideas  about  the  connection  of  most  trifling  matters 
with  the  dreaded  approach  of  the  destroyer.     How  precious  will 


566  CHRISTIAN   OBLIGATION. 

be  esteemed  the  truth,  which  sets  them  free  from  oppressive 
customs  and  kindles  a  fire  on  their  hearthstones  from  wliich  all 
hideous  imaginations  shall  shrink  abashed!  And  let  Christians 
remember  that  they  cannot  delegate  the  redemption  of  Africa 
from  its  degradation  to  others ;  no  human  system  is  equal  to 
the  work,  and  no  other  creed  can  inspire  its  adherents  for  it. 
Dr.  Livingstone  felt  this  more  and  more  as  he  penetrated  its 
mysterious  wilds  farther  and  farther,  and  gained  deeper  insight 
into  the  character  of  the  people  there. 

But  the  reader  will  be  impatient  of  this  delay  at  Kabwabwati, 
as  the  doctor  himself  was.  Let  him  reflect  that  while  we  have 
detained  him  a  few  minutes  with  our  reflections,  the  great  trav- 
eller waited  long  months  in  that  heathen  town,  with  no  other 
diversion  than  could  be  found  in  the  dull  monotony  of  provid- 
ing for  daily  food,  and  cherishing,  with  sick  heart,  the  deferred 
hope  of  reaching  Ujiji  and  letters  sometime  or  other. 

Mohamad  resisted  with  innumerable  arguments  his  proposi- 
tion to  go  south  ;  and  not  satisfied  with  encouraging  his  own 
men  to  desert  him,  detained  some  of  Caserabe's  men  who  had 
come  on  business  to  the  town.  Thus  annoyed  and  outraged  by 
one  professing  friendship,  deprived  of  his  followers,  another  man 
might  have  surrendered  his  purpose.  Livingstone  was  not  the 
man  to  be  forced  into  measures  so  easily,  and  accordingly  he 
set  off  with  five  of  his  attendants,  who  were  finally  moved  to 
repent  of  their  disloyalty. 

"With  great  difficulty  he  retraced  his  steps  toward  Casembe's. 
The  rivers  were  all  in  flood,  and  every  day  saw  the  little  party 
every  now  and  then  almost  waist-deep  in  water,  beneath  which 
black  tenacious  mud  seemed  to  grasp  their  feet  at  every  step 
with  malicious  eagerness.  Sometimes  the  flood  swept  about 
them  chest-deep,  and  all  articles  were  of  necessity  carried  on 
the  head ;  and  to  add  to  the  discomforts  of  their  march,  the 
broad  belts  of  tangled  tropical  vegetation,  which  flanked  most 
of  the  streams,  often  entangled  them.  We  can  readily  believe 
that  such  a  journey  could  only  be  performed  willingly  under 
the  inspiration  of  the  loftiest  consecration.  The  mere  novelty 
of  the  scenes  could  not  compensate  for  such  sufferings  as  were 
endured.  A  man  for  that  might  say  truly,  "  When  I  see  Bemba 
I  will  see  only  water;  and  I  will  not  ford  a  flood  to  find  a 
fountain." 


A   DISCOVERY.  567 

At  length  the  journey  was  accomplished,  and  the  sorrows  of 
the  way,  when  they  were  past,  were  not  so  dreadful,  and  pleas- 
ant memories  of  little  oddities  and  kindnesses  of  the  people 
were  brighter  in  the  retrospect.  One  time  he  had  been  sepa- 
rated from  his  party  and  thoroughly  bewildered  in  the  tall 
tangled  grass ;  but  though  he  could  not  find  the  old  friends  he 
found  new  ones  at  the  neat  little  village  of  a  woman  named 
Nyinakasanga  (or  Mother  Kasanga),  who  was  kind  as  she 
should  be  with  such  a  name,  and  made  the  stranger  welcome 
until  his  party  found  him.  Another  time  a  generous  matron 
spread  for  him  a  generous  banquet,  and  her  dignified  husband, 
when  he  knew  what  his  spouse  had  done,  signified  his  approval 
of  her  act  by  saying  to  the  stranger  in  the  heartiest  manner, 
"  That  is  your  village  :  always  go  that  way  and  eat  my  provi- 
sions." 

Once  he  was  sitting  by  the  path,  when  some  wood-cutters 
came  along ;  noticing  that  they  turned  out  of  it,  he  signaled 
them  not  to  be  at  that  inconvenience,  but  they  insisted,  as  it 
would  be  very  impolite  in  them  to  allow  their  shadows  to  fall 
on  the  stranger. 

While  on  the  way  he  made  a  notable  discovery  which  some 
may  consider  important.  It  had,  he  declares,  never  occurred 
to  him  that  there  could  ever  be  any  possibility  of  turning  the 
fashionable  hole  through  the  cartilage  of  the  nose  to  any  account 
better  than  that  of  holding  some  ornament,  and  it  may  be 
safely  assumed  that  no  lady  in  the  land  who  has  supported  an 
analogous  fashion  since  she  was  a  child  would  ever  dream  that 
the  rude  African  would  be  first  to  find  out  that  this  perforation 
might  be  utilized  as  a  needle-holder ;  but  so  it  is.  Upon  the 
registered  observation  of  a  distinguished  traveller,  we  say  it, 
and  we  hope  it  may  be  considered  generous  in  us,  to  congratu- 
late our  few  advocates  of  ear-boring,  that  they  may  at  least 
have  the  glory  of  seizing  on  a  valuable  suggestion,  though  it 
may  seem  far-fetched.  But  more  than  all,  as  he  looked  back  on 
the  dreary  journey,  there  had  been  many  ills  endured ;  but  he 
remembered  that  there  lay  everywhere  concealed  in  those  forests 
creatures  of  ferocious  passions,  and  swimming  in  those  rivers 
were  monstrous  enemies  of  man.     God  had  not  only  inclined 

the  hearts  of  rude  men  kindly  toward  him,  but  kept  him  from 
29 


668  A   LEOPARD   HUNT. 

wild  beasts.  This  deliverance  was  more  notable  because  the 
floods  having  forced  these  monsters  from  their  jungles,  they 
were  more  numerous  and  ravenous  than  usual  on  the  higher 
land.  Many  villages  had  been  broken  up  by  them.  There 
were  a  great  many  leopards  infesting  some  of  the  districts  ^Yhich 
he  had  crossed.  These  cruel  blood-thirsty  animals  lurk  about 
tlie  paths,  hidden  by  the  tall  waving  grass,  and  spring  on  un- 
suspecting men,  and  many  a  victim  never  returns  to  tell  the  story 
of  his  encounter.  Farther  south,  in  CafPre  Land,  leopard  hunt- 
ing ranks  high  in  the  list  of  wild  and  perilous  delights.  A 
body  of  men  take  a  position  near  some  opening  in  the  forest, 
where  the  undergrowth  is  small  or  scarce ;  others  with  packs  of 
dogs  begin  the  hunt  at  a  distance,  and  approach  through  the 
forest,  very  much  after  our  western  plan  of  driving  for  deer. 
The  tremendous  baying  of  dogs  and  yelling  of  men  is  the  first 
intimation  the  waiting  horsemen  have  that  a  leopard  has  been 
found  ;  riders  and  horses  are  equally  impatient  as  the  baying  and 
yelling  draw  nearer  and  nearer.  And  when  the  bounding  object 
of  their  quest  enters  the  glade,  away  they  fly  in  swift  pursuit ;  the 
dismayed  animal  finding  new  foes,  strains  every  muscle,  his 
splendid  robe  glistening  in  the  sunshine,  and  his  eyes  flashing 
like  fire,  while  the  well-trained  steeds,  rejoicing  in  the  chase,  bear 
their  shouting  riders  in  advance  of  the  baying  pack.  And  it  is 
an  odd  chance  the  leopard  has  of  life,  if  a  practised  Caffre  lifts 
his  spear.  But  there  is  not  much  time  for  review  in  a  busy 
life,  and  Dr.  Livingstone  had  already  lost  so  much  time  that 
he  was  more  eager  than  ever  to  press  forward  with  his  work. 

Casembe  received  him  very  graciously,  very  much  to  the 
chagrin  of  a  certain  cropped-eared  babbler,  who  had  exerted  all 
his  abilities,  with  the  iiersistency  of  an  attorney,  to  make  a 
"case"  out  of  the  "  English  coming  a  second  time." 

The  chief  received  his  plans  for  visiting  Lake  Bemba  very 
kindly,  and  offered  no  objections ;  but  he  could  not  understand 
any  more  than  his  subjects  why  on  earth  the  Englishman 
should  go  so  far  only  to  sec  water,  when  there  was  enough  so 
much  nearer.  But  as  far  as  he  was  able,  he  seemed  willing  to 
further  the  desires  of  his  visitor.  With  all  his  cruelty  he  had 
a  vein  of  manly  generosity  in  him,  and  improved  greatly  on  ac- 
quaintance.     True,  he  could  not  rise  above  the  superstition 


W"  ^'^S^f'^T""^*.'-  V  •^  r-r^^'ik-i-A' 


•-^:fi-^: 


w 


CAFFRE    LEOPARD   HUNT. 


SURPRISED   BY    ELEPHANTS 


"child  of  the  sultan."  571 

which  he  obeyed  in  taking  a  man's  head  off  of  whom  he  might 
dream  several  times,  and  he  was  unscrupulous  about  the  execu- 
tion of  witches ;  but  there  were  other  decisions  of  his  which  in- 
dicated that,  outside  of  the  influence  of  his  superstitions,  he 
could  apply  sound  reasoning  in  dispensing  justice. 

We  will  not  weary  the  reader  with  the  recital  of  the  trifling 
incidents  of  camping  and  village  receptions,  which  were  only 
such  as  his  own  imagination  may  now  suggest.  Dr.  Living- 
stone left  Casembe's  on  the  11th  of  June,  after  having  suffered 
another  delay  of  more  than  a  month  by  the  dilatoriness  of  that 
worthy  gentleman.  Marching  almost  due  south  a  little  more 
than  a  month,  he  was  rewarded  at  length,  on  the  1 8th  of  July, 
1868,  by  the  discovery  of  one  of  the  largest  lakes  of  central 
Africa.  He  had  not  travelled  much  more  than  one  hundred 
miles  from  Casembe,  no  more  than  an  average  of  three  miles  a 
day ;  and  besides  the  tediousness  of  the  journey,  had  endured 
many  hardships  and  faced  many  dangers ;  but  as  it  had  been  so 
many  times  before,  the  joy  of  realizing  his  hope  made  him  for- 
get the  weariness  and  the  perils  he  had  endured.  Over  a  large 
part  of  the  country  he  had  found  scattered  villages  of  Wanyam- 
wezi,  who,  acknowledging  the  authority  of  the  sultan  at  Zanzi- 
bar, were  very  respectful  and  helpful.  They  have  settled  in 
the  country  only  as  traders,  and  though  they  frequently  render 
great  service  by  beating  back  the  Mazitu,  who  find  such  easy 
prey  in  the  aborigines,  they  are  viewed  with  jealous  eye  by 
both  the  Balonda  and  the  Baitawa.  These  tribes  look  with 
fear  and  envy  on  their  growing  power,  and  not  unfrequentlv 
these  foreign  settlers  are  obliged  to  turn  their  weapons  on  them 
in  self-defence.  One  of  the  pleasantcst  of  the  Wanyamwezi 
head  men  was  Kombo  Kombo,  whose  stockade  was  on  the  bank 
of  the  Chiberase  river.  The  doctor  came  there  in  the  midst  of 
a  general  jollification,  and  was  most  bountifully  supplied  with 
pombe  and  food,  and  when  he  expressed  his  regret  that  his 
goods  were  all  gone  and  he  had  nothing  to  pay  with,  his  gener- 
ous host  assured  him  that  he  expected  nothing,  he  was  "a  child 
of  the  sultan  and  ought  to  furnish  all  the  doctor  needed." 

Copper  and  the  iron  ore  so  often  mentioned  were  seen  at 
different  places;  and  the  doctor  speaks  of  crossing  grassy  plains 
and  ranges  of  splendid  hills;  there  were  neat  little  gardens 


572  TUE  CHOICE  gkove. 

frequently  seen,  surrounded  by  high  hedges,  and  one  day  his 
attention  was  drawn  to  a  solitary  I'orest-gravc,  a  little  rounded 
mound,  strewn  over  with  flowers,  and  a  number  of  large  blue 
beads ;  and  there  was  a  path  which  showed  there  were  those 
who  loved  the  spot.  How  naturally  his  thoughts  flew  away 
across  the  broad  wilderness,  and  rivers,  and  valleys,  to  the  grave 
under  the  great  baobab  tree,  where  he  had  laid  the  body  of  his 
own  "  Mary."  And  it  was  not  strange  either,  that  he  thought 
of  his  own  death,  and  it  was  like  him  to  say,  just  what  he  did 
aay :  "  This  is  the  sort  of  grave  I  should  prefer :  to  lie  in  the 
still,  still  forest,  and  no  hand  ever  disturb  ray  bones.  The 
graves  at  home  always  seemed  to  me  to  be  miserable,  especially 
those  in  the  cold  damp  clay,  and  without  elbow-room :  but  I 
have  nothing  to  do  but  wait  till  He,  who  is  over  all,  decides 
where  I  have  to  lay  me  down  and  die."  There  were  some 
scenes  of  this  journey  which  had  stamped  themselves  on  his 
memory  among  the  things  never  to  be  forgotten,  ever  burning 
memories  which  every  day  impelled  him  to  greater  exertion  and 
more  earnest  prayers  in  behalf  of  Africa.  Never  had  he  been 
more  affected  by  the  horrors  of  the  slave-trade.  In  one  party 
he  says : 

"  Six  men  slaves  were  singing  as  if  they  did  not  feel  the 
weight  and  degradation  of  the  slave-sticks.  I  asked  the  cause 
of  their  mirth,  and  was  told  that  they  rejoiced  at  the  idea  '  of 
coming  back  after  death  and  haunting  and  killing  those  who 
liad  sold  them.'  Some  of  the  words  I  had  to  inquire  about ; 
for  instance,  the  meaning  of  the  words  '  to  haunt  and  kill  by 
spirit  power ; '  then  it  was,  *  Oh,  you  sent  me  oft' to  Manga  (sea- 
coast),  but  the  yoke  is  oft"  when  I  die,  and  back  I  shall  come  to 
haunt  and  to  kill  you.'  Then  all  joined  in  the  chorus,  which 
was  the  name  of  each  vendor.  It  told  not  of  fun,  ^ut  of  the 
bitterness  and  tears  of  such  as  Avere  oppressed,  and  on  the  side 
of  the  oppressor  there  was  a  power ;  there  be  higher  than 
they." 

It  is  indeed,  as  Mr.  Waller  says,  "  extraordinary  to  notice 
the  total  absence  of  all  pride  and  enthusiasm  "  with  which  Dr. 
Livingstone  records  the  discovery  of  the  great  lake,  for  a  sight 
of  which  he  had  travelled  so  far  and  endured  so  much.  He 
simply  writes:  "On  the  18th  I  walked  a  little  way  out  (from 


LAKE   BANGWEOLO.  573 

the  village  of  Mapuni)  and  saw  the  shores  of  the  lake  for  the 
first  time ;  thankful  that  I  had  come  safely  hither." 

He  found  the  people  about  the  lake  very  kind,  and  although 
he  was  forced  to  tell  them  that  his  goods  were  all  done,  they  did 
not  hesitate  to  supply  his  wants.  The  chief,  Mapuni,  showed 
liim  all  the  respect  he  could  have  shown  had  he  been  loaded 
with  presents,  and  readily  furnished  a  guide  for  exploring  the 
lake.  A  great  many  Babisa  were  found  residing  about  the  lake, 
having  made  their  homes  among  the  native  tribes. 

On  the  19th  the  doctor  came  to  the  village  of  Masantu,  who 
lives  on  the  shore  of  the  lake,  and  having  secured  a  canoe,  with 
no  little  trouble,  however,  he  was  enabled  to  visit  several  of  the 
islands.  The  water  of  the  lake  was  of  a  deep  sea-green  color, 
nowhere  exhibiting  the  dark  blue  of  Nyassa.  It  was  much  to 
be  regretted  that  he  could  make  no  measurements  of  its  depth, 
but  he  had  been  compelled  to  leave  his  line  where  one  of  his  men 
forsook  him  just  after  leaving  Kabwabwati.  The  waves  on  the 
lake  ran  high,  and  when  strong  winds  are  blowing  it  would  be 
quite  hazardous  to  venture  on  its  surface  with  a  canoe.  It  was 
ascertained  to  receive  the  waters  of  the  Chambeze  on  the  east, 
and  find  its  outlet  through  the  Luapula  into  Moero.  By  the 
best  estimates  which  he  could  make,  the  doctor  decided  that 
Bangweolo  must  be  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  long  by 
about  eighty  miles  broad.  The  country  immediately  around 
the  lake  he  reports  to  be  "  flat,  and  very  much  denuded  of  trees 
except  the  motsikiri  or  mosikisi,  which  has  fine  dark,  dense  foli- 
age, and  is  spared  for  its  shade,  and  the  fatty  oil  yielded  by  its 
seeds."  Many  people  were  seen  boiling  great  pots  of  this  oil, 
which  is  greatly  valued  by  them.  There  was  not  much  of 
novelty  in  the  home  scenes  about  the  lake :  "  fishing,  weaving 
nets,  bealting  bark  for  cloth,  nursing  babies,  and  smoking  to- 
bacco, is  all  the  story." 

Having  spent  already  more  time  than  he  had  given  himself 
at  the  lake,  he  started  north  again  on  the  30th.  He  was  par- 
ticularly anxious  to  rejoin  Mohamad  Bogharib,  with  whose 
trading  party  he  had  come  down  from  Casembe's,  in  the  hope 
that  the  movements  of  that  party  might  furnish  him  an  escort 
north  again.  But  when  he  reached  the  village  of  Kombo 
Kombo  he  found  serious  difficulties  surrounding  him,  and  the 


574  DREADFULLY   RELIGIOUS. 

Arabs  themsulvcs  greatly  perplexed.  The  whole  country  was 
in  confusion.  Casembe  and  Chikurabi  had  joined  their  forces 
against  the  Arabs,  and  the  Wanyamwezi,  whom  they  classed  as 
Arabs ;  and  these  foreigners  were  arranging  to  quit  the  coun- 
try. It  was  clear  that  in  this  disturbed  state  of  affairs  so  small 
a  party  as  Dr.  Livingstone's  could  not  hope  to  pass  through  the 
country,  and  he  could  only  wait  until  all  went.  While  they 
were  waiting.  Bin  Omar,  a  Suaheli,  came  from  the  Chambeze, 
and  the  two  traders  united  their  forces  and  began  their  retreat 
northward,  in  company  with  about  four  hundred  Wanyamwezi. 
And  with  this  party  Dr.  Livingstone's  destiny  was  cast  for  the 
time,  and  with  them  he  reached  Kabwabwati  on  22d  October. 
He  had  spent  many  years  in  Africa,  but  never  had  endured  in 
six  months  so  many  annoyances,  or  faced  so  many  dangers.  In 
compensation  for  these  perils  and  troubles  he  had  succeeded  in 
farming  the  connecting  link  between  his  central  and  more 
southern  travels  by  mingling  again  with  the  subjects  of  Mati- 
amvo,  whom  we  remember  as  the  paramount  chief  of  the 
Balonda,  and  he  had  satisfied  himself  about  the  continuity  of 
the  chain  of  waters  from  the  Losanzwe  range,  which  forms  the 
watershed  south  of  Lake  Tanganyika,  extending  southwest- 
ward,  first,  with  the  Chambeze  into  Lake  Bangweolo,  thence 
northward  in  the  Luapula  (which  he  named  Webb's  river  for 
his  old  friend  in  England),  on  into  the  Lake  Moero,  and  away 
northward  in  the  Lualofu  again  ;  thus  fixing,  as  he  fondly  be- 
lieved, the  soui-ces  from  which  he  would  ultimately  be  able  to 
descend  into  the  great  mysterious  Nile,  victorious  over  all  its 
windings.  We  cannot  imagine,  therefore,  that  he  regretted  the 
journey,  even  at  so  great  a  cost  of  time  and  comfort  and  abso- 
lute vitality.  But  his  trials  were  not  ended  at  Kabwabwati. 
The  men,  with  whom  the  gradual  loss  of  his  own  foll(^wers  and 
the  expenditure  of  all  his  goods  had  finally  lefl  him  an  involun- 
tary associate,  were  far  from  being  such  specimens  of  humanity 
as  he  would  have  selected.  They  were  specimen  Arab  traders, 
investing  their  cloth  and  beads  in  ivory  and  slaves.  Trading 
when  they  could,  seizing  what  they  dared,  and  fighting  when 
they  must.  Dreadfully  religious,  but  seeming  to  find  nothing 
in  their  creed  but  covetousness,  and  making  their  confessions 
only  at  the  bar  of  self-interest.     liife  with  them  was  giving  the 


THE  SLAVE-TRADE.  575 

great  champion  of  Africa's  oppressed  millions  an  insight  into 
the  trade  which  he  so  despised,  which  he  could  never  have  had 
without  that  dreadful  experience;  and  if  the  kindness  which  he 
received  personally  at  the  hands  of  some  of  those  engaged  in  it 
moved  him  to  gentler  judgment  of  the  men,  the  horrors  of  their 
traffic,  revealed  every  day  more  clearly,  only  intensified  his  ab- 
horrence of  it,  and  aroused  him  to  more  unrelenting  denunci- 
ations of  everything  which  encouraged  it.  He  saw  it  in  its 
degrading  influence  on  the  minds  of  its  victims;  he  saw  it  en- 
couraging the  most  unnatural  cruelties  where  tenderness  and 
love  should  have  been  implanted  ;  he  saw  it  confirming  the  most 
oppressive  superstitions  and  the  most  barbarous  customs ;  he  saw 
it  cultivating  the  meanest  selfishness,  and  filling  the  minds  of 
the  people  with  suspicions ;  he  saw  it  fomenting  dissensions  and 
creating  wars;  he  saw  it,  not  content  with  the  restrictions  of  its 
own  mock  legitimacy,  rising  at  times  with  unpardonable  bar- 
barity and  desolating  whole  districts  under  color  of  some  pre- 
tended loss.  Most  gladly  would  he  have  gone  on,  and  escaped 
the  dreadful  spectacle  which  sickened  his  soul  continually,  but 
he  must  inevitably  have  fallen  a  victim  to  the  justly  incensed 
tribes  who  assembled  from  all  quarters  to  avenge  themselves  on 
the  traders. 

He  found  himself  in  the  midst  of  a  regular  war,  without 
being  in  the  least  responsible  for  it,  and  being  utterly  unable  to 
exert  any  influence  for  peace ;  the  people  had  received  so  many 
provocations,  and  endured  so  many  wrongs,  even  according  to 
the  low  standards  of  justice  which  the  traders  themselves  had 
set  up,  that  the  Arabs  and  all  their  dependents  were  thoroughly 
hated,  and  some  recent  barbarities  of  the  parties  sent  out  by 
Mohamad  Bogharib  had  been  the  fatal  spark  which  set  the 
whole  country  ablaze.  The  doctor  describes  some  of  the  scenes 
of  this  war  quite  vividly  : 

"  On  the  23d  of  November,"  lie  says,  "  we  w^ere  assailed  by  a 
crowd  of  Imbozhwa  on  three  sides;  we  had  no  stockade,  but  the 
men  built  one  as  fast  as  the  enemy  allowed,  cutting  down  trees, 
and  carrying  them  to  the  line  of  defence,  while  others  kept  the  as- 
sailants at  bay  with  their  guns.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  crowd  of 
Wanyamwezi  we  had,  who  shot  vigorously  with  their  arrows,  and 
occasionally  chased  the  Imbozhwa,  we  should  have  been  routed." 


076  VICTORIA-CROSS   FELLOWS." 

He  himself  did  not  go  near  the  fighting,  but  remained  in 
his  house.  Among  the  strangest  features  of  the  scene  was  the 
part  taken  by  the  women.  "  They  could  be  seen,"  continues 
the  doctor,  "  everywhere  moving  up  and  down  the  village  witli 
sieves  as  if  winnowing ;  and  singing  songs,  and  lullilooing  to 
encourage  their  husbands  and  friends  who  were  fighting.  Each 
had  in  her  hand  a  branch  of  Ficus  indica,  which  they  waved 
constantly  as  a  charm.  Though  the  Imbozhwa  continued  this 
assault  from  early  morning  until  1  P.  m.  they  only  killed  two 
men  with  their  arrows,  and  themselves  lost  ten." 

But  the  witness  could  not  withhold  his  praises  for  their  bravery, 
and  mentions  with  special  admiration  the  care  with  which  they 
looked  after  their  fallen  comrades.  When  one  fell,  two  or  three 
would  immediately  seize  him  and  carry  him  away  from  the  field, 
though  pursued  by  great  crowds  of  the  Wanyamwezi  with  spears 
and  fired  at  by  the  Suaheli.  "Victoria-cross  fellows,  truly, 
many  of  them  were ! "  exclaims  the  enthusiastic  Englishman. 
The  most  gallant  of  them  wore  bunches  of  the  tails  of  animals 
and  medicine  charms  tied  to  their  waists.  They  would  come 
sidling  and  ambling  up  near  the  unfinished  stockade  and  shoot 
their  arrows  high  up  in  the  air  to  fall  among  the  Wanyamwezi, 
then  picking  up  such  arrows  as  they  saw  on  the  field  run  ofi^" 
and  return  with  the  same  prancing  gait.  They  seemed  to  think 
that  this  peculiar  gait  saved  them  from  the  balls,  and  the  air  of 
confidence  with  which  they  lowered  their  heads  when  they  heard 
the  whizzing  to  allow  the  balls  to  pass  was  a  picture  for  an 
artist. 

It  was  quite  evident  to  Livingstone  that  the  Suaheli  Arabs 
were  quite  taken  aback  by  the  attitude  of  the  natives;  they  ex- 
pected them  to  flee  as  soon  as  they  heard  a  gun  fired  in  anger, 
but  instead  of  this  they  were  very  nearly  being  cut  off,  and 
should  have  been  but  for  our  AVanyamwezi  allies.  It  was  ad- 
mitted to  be  very  fortunate  that  the  attacking  party  had  no 
success  in  trying  to  get  Mpweto  and  Karembwe  to  join  them,  or 
it  would  have  been  more  serious  still. 

Early  on  the  24th  tiie  assailants  approached  again,  and  called 
on  IMohamad  to  come  out  of  his  stockade  if  he  Mere  a  man  who 
could  figlit,  but  the  fence  was  finished,  and  no  one  seemed  willing 
to  obey  the  taunting  call.     The  doctor  was  glad  that  he  had 


A   DREADFUL    MURDER.  577 

nothing  to  do  with  it,  but  felt  very  thankful  that  he  had  been 
detained,  and  had  not,  with  his  few  attendants,  fallen  into  the 
hands  of  the  justly  infuriated  Babeniba.  The  attack  was  re- 
newed, and  some  went  out  to  them,  fighting  till  noon  :  when  a 
man  was  killed  and  not  carried  off,  the  Wanyamwezi  brought 
his  head  and  put  it  on  a  pole  on  the  stockade — six  heads  were 
thus  placed.  A  fine  young  man  was  caught  and  brought  in  by 
the  Wanyamwezi :  one  stabbed  him  behind,  another  cut  his 
forehead  with  an  axe.  Livingstone  called  in  vain  to  them  not 
to  kill  him.  As  a  last  appeal,  the  poor  fellow  cried  piteously 
to  the  crowd  surrounding  him,  "Don't  kill  me!  and  I  will  take 
you  to  where  the  women  are."  "  You  lie,"  said  his  enemies, 
"  you  intend  to  take  us  where  we  may  be  shot  by  your  friends," 
and  they  killed  him.  The  doctor  protested  loudly  against  the 
cruelty  and  wickedness  of  the  act,  but  his  voice  was  powerless 
against  the  rage  of  the  Wanyamwezi. 

He  felt  that  the  war  lay  at  the  door  of  Mohamad  Bogharib, 
and  he  did  not  hesitate  to  tell  him  that  he  considered  him  en- 
tirely in  fault,  and  did  all  he  could  to  move  him  to  conciliatory 
measures.  But  an  Arab  trader  only  makes  admission  of  wrong 
when  it  cannot  be  possibly  avoided,  and  particularly  is  it  diffi- 
cult to  persuade  one  to  such  measures  as  call  for  the  relinquishing 
aught  of  their  gains.  Dreadful  as  were  the  open  hostilities  which 
he  was  compelled  to  witness,  there  were  things  occurring  every 
day — in  the  natural  every-day  life  of  the  strange  company, 
ordinary  occurrences  in  the  trader's  camp — which  harrowed  his 
soul  more  severely  than  the  violence  of  war,  that  he  could  think 
of  as  extraoi'dinary  while  the  others  were  the  common  inevitable 
horrors  of  the  inhuman  business. 

But  "  at  last  he  made  a  start  for  Ujiji  with  the  Arabs  on  the 
11th  of  December — Mohamad  and  his  friends,  a  gang  of  Wan- 
yamwezi, and  long  lines  of  slaves  bound  together  by  their  heavy 
yohes.  Some  were  burdened  with  ivory,  others  with  copper  and 
food  for  the  journey,  while  hope  and  fear  and  misery  and  villany 
could  be  read  off  on  the  various  countenances^  as  they  passed  in 
a  long  line  out  of  the  country,  like  a  huge  serpent  dragging  its 
accursed  folds  away  from  the  victim  it  has  paralyzed  with  its 
fangs." 

It  required  only  a  short  march  to  bring  them  to  the  Lokinda, 


578  "CHRISTMAS   COME   AGAIN." 

which  was  crossed  on  the  12th,  though  Cliisabi,  who  was  in 
authority  east  of  the  Lokinda,  had  not  joined  the  rest  of  the 
Babemba  in  their  war  on  the  Arabs.  It  seemed  unsafe  for  the 
doctor  to  go  on  alone,  and  he  endured  the  delays  and  mortifica- 
tions of  this  strange  company  as  patiently  as  possible.  Every 
day  brought  its  fresh  grievances  to  the  traders  in  the  escape  of 
their  slaves.  The  prettier  women  were  peculiarly  successful  in 
making  their  escape.  They  knew  well  how  to  move  the  hearts 
of  their  masters  by  their  charms,  and  no  sooner  was  the  yoke 
lifted  in  answer  to  their  entreaties  and  promises,  than  they 
bounded  away  like  frightened  roes  through  the  tall  grass  and 
were  lost  to  view. 

Christmas  came  again,  and  still  he  had  not  seen  Ujiji  or  letters 
from  the  far  away  friends  who  had  been  so  long  mourning  him 
as  dead.  He  slaughtered  a  favorite  goat  to  make  a  Christmas 
dinner  for  his  little  party,  which  had  now  resumed  its  old  ap- 
pearance by  the  repentance  of  all  the  men  who  had  been  tempted 
from  their  duty  by  the  old  prisoner  of  Casembe.  A  few  days 
more  and  he  was  spending  the  last  day  of  1868  on  the  bank  of 
the  Lofuko,  close  by  the  great  Lake  Tanganyika,  surrounded 
by  lovely  scenery  and  filled  with  gratitude  for  the  deliverances 
of  the  y6ar,  and  the  important  discoveries  which  he  had  been 
allowed  to  make. 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

UJIJI. 

Severe  Illness — Thoughts  and  Memories — Some  Good  in  All — Mohamad  Bog- 
harib's  Kindness — Dr.  Livingstone  too  111  to  Walk — Sufferings  in  being  Car- 
ried— Arrival  at  Ujiji — Hardshijis  Endured — Disappointment — Goods  Stolen — 
XJjiji— Products  of  the  District — Market-Place — Wajiji's  Salutations — Head 
Ornamentation— Formal  Introductions — Tattooing— A  Representative  Wajiji 
— Ornaments— Superstition — Superstitious  Customs — Refusal  to  Carry  Letters 
— A  Den  of  Thieves — Thani  bin  Suellim — Manyuema  Country — Religiously 
Villanous  ?—Bambarre— Expert  Hunters — The  Great  Chief— The  Covenant 
of  Peace— IIow  Arabs  keep  Covenants — Mockery  of  Superstition — "Liliputian 
Monsters  " — A  Pygmean  Battle — Amazed  at  Guns — An  Elephant  Hunt — Un- 
satisfactory. 

The  catalogue  of  sufferings  in  1868  was  finished  by  a  dread- 
ful wetting  in  the  last  day,  and  1869  found  Dr.  Livingstone 
very  ill,  and  facing  the  Lofuko,  thirty  yards  wide  and  waist- 
deep.  The  experience  of  delays  was  too  fresh  in  his  mind  to 
allow  him  to  run  the  risk  of  seeing  this  stream  rise  suddenly 
out  of  its  banks  and  spread  across  the  plains,  an  impassable 
barrier  in  his  way  to  Tanganyika,  and  he  resolved  to  cross  im- 
mediately. Across  the  river  his  strength  failed  more  rapidly; 
the  additional  exposure  only  abetted  the  disease  which  had 
seized  him,  and  he  soon  sank  down  with  pneumonia.  The  fever 
raged,  and  his  mind,  no  longer  clear  and  free,  became  the  scene 
of  confused  thoughts  and  memories,  flitting  and  flowing  vividly 
and  rapidly.  The  trees  about  him  seemed  to  be  covered  with 
human  faces;  sometimes  the  faraway  land  surrounded  him  with 
familiar  scenes ;  his  old  friends  came  about  him  and  his  children, 
and  the  sad,  sweet,  prophetic  lines  were  on  his  lips : 

"  I  shall  look  into  your  faces, 
And  listen  to  what  you  say; 
And  be  often  very  near  you, 
When  you  think  I'm  far  away." 

Another  time  he  seemed  to  see  a  grave,  and  he  thought  him- 
self dead  without  having  reached  Ujiji,  without  having  seen  the 

579 


580  SOME   GOOD   IN   ALL. 

long  wishecl-for  Icttci-s  from  his  dear  native  land.  His  suffer- 
ings during  this  illness  were  very  great,  and  probably  left  him 
an  easier  prey  for  the  final  sickness.  God  mercifully  moved 
the  heart  of  Mohamad  Bogharib  to  special  kindness.  In  the 
most  vicious  there  are  traces  of  the  purity  which  reigned  in 
man  before  the  fall  had  darkened  and  defiled  the  glorious  em- 
pire ;  hints  of  former  virtue  that  relieve  the  deepening  degener- 
acy of  the  soul,  and  contest  the  supremacy  of  evil,  like  the 
glimmer,  which  lingers  in  the  gathering  darkness  when  the  sun 
is  far  away  and  his  pencilings  are  so  light  that  we  do  not  call 
them  rays,  relieves  the  night  and  contests  the  supremacy  of 
gloom.  It  is  the  redemption  of  our  experience  among  men 
from  the  shadow  of  their  deformities,  that  it  is  veined,  however 
faintly,  with  kindnesses  and  loves.  And  it  should  awaken 
emotions  of  gratitude,  that  God  allows  in  the  hearts  of  men 
some  remnants  of  the  light  and  goodness  which  they  have  for- 
feited, to  mitigate  the  sorrows  of  their  depravity.  It  is  very 
pleasing  to  think  of  the  tenderness  and  kindness  which  Living- 
stone received  at  the  hand  of  a  man,  about  whose  heart  scenes 
of  unrivalled  cruelty  had  been  moulding  an  adamantine  casing 
during  so  many  years.  Mohamad  Bogharib  was  a  specimen 
Arab  trader.  He  was  tlioroughly  bent  on  gain  ;  he  was  over- 
bearing and  cruel.  The  doctor  had  seen  much  in  him  to  con- 
demn, very  little  to  admire;  but  he  had  himself  been  shown 
very  marked  and  persevering  kindness  by  him.  During  more 
than  a  year  he  had  furnished  and  cooked  his  food.  Though 
involved  in  wars,  he  had  never  once  forgotten  the  wants  of  liis 
destitute  fellow-traveller;  and  had  been  most  assiduous  in  his 
attentions.  And  now,  when  at  last  he  was  prostrated,  he  had 
him  borne  forward  by  his  followers.  It  was  the  first  time  in 
his  life  that  Dr.  Livingstone  had  needed  to  be  carried  on  his 
journey,  and  he  did  not  hesitate  to  record  the  kindness  of 
Mohamad  and  his  gratitude.  But  though  all  care  was  used  to 
Gecure  his  comfort,  the  doctor  describes  this  journey,  on  to  the 
lake,  as  one  of  great  suffering.  In  his  extreme  illness,  to  be 
carried  at  all  must  have  been  painful ;  but  to  be  carried  across 
a  broken  country,  lying  in  a  sort  of  cot  resting  on  the  shoulders 
of  four  men,  whose  feet  were  wounded  constantly  by  sharp 
thorns  and  bruised  by  the  rough  ground,  up  hill  and  down, 


RECEPTION   AT   UJIJI.  581 

jolted  from  side  to  side,  under  a  vertical  sun,  which  blistered 
his  skin  wherever  it  became  exposed,  with  only  a  bunch  of 
leaves  to  shelter  his  aching  head  and  his  face  from  the  powerful 
rays,  was  indescribably  painful.  And  all  this  time  with  only 
such  medical  attention  as  Mohamad  could  rendfer,  and  no  food 
except  a  little  gruel.  Thus  battling  with  a  dreadful  disease, 
sometimes  for  days  so  extremely  ill  that  he  could  not  be  moved, 
then  rallying  and  relapsing,  it  was  full  six  weeks  before  he 
reached  the  Tanganyika  at  the  confluence  of  the  Lofuko.  There 
he  obtained  canoes,  and  after  two  weeks  sailing,  landed  at  Ujiji 
on  the  14th  of  March,  18G9.  He  had  been  poorly  able  to  note 
the  incidents  of  the  journey  ;  much  of  the  time  he  had  been 
hardly  conscious;  his  whole  anxiety  had  been  to  reach  Ujiji, 
where,  besides  his  letters,  lie  expected  to  find  a  fresh  supply  of 
medicines,  and  such  other  of  the  essentials  to  the  comfort  of  an 
Englishman  as  he  stood  most  in  need  of. 

"We  can  hardly  imagine  a  more  dispiriting  condition  than 
that  in  which  this  great  man  arrived  at  Ujiji.  Three  years  and 
a  half  before,  he  had  left  Zanzibar,  well  provided  with  attend- 
ants and  stores;  the  attendants  had  melted  away  until  only  a 
little  handful  of  men  followed  him..  His  goods  had  been  wasted 
and  stolen.  He  had  been  subjected  to  indescribable  perplexities 
and  sorrows  in  regions  swarming  with  slave-traders,  and  at  the 
hands  of  people  who  had  learned  only  extortion  and  deception 
from  the  Arabs.  He  had  found  his  way  hedged  by  the  bitter- 
ness which  Arab  provocations  had  engendered  in  the  native 
mind  against  all  foreigners.  He  had  been  unavoidably  associ- 
ated with  a  class  of  men  whose  lives  were  most  repulsive  to  him, 
and  had  been  sickened  at  heart  by  the  barbarities  of  the  un- 
holiest  wars.  Through  it  all,  he  had  suffered  for  food  and 
endured  constant  exj^osure,  traversing  on  foot  broad  plains, 
climbing  rugged  mountains,  fording  broad  rivers  and  inundated 
swamps;  his  clothes  and  shoes  were  tattered;  disease  had  come 
on  him  and  found  him  without  a  single  remedy,  with  only  his 
overtaxed  energies  and  impaired  constitution  to  match  against 
it,  and  the  odds  of  continued  exposure  and  necessary  exertion. 
He  was  in  the  extremity  of  emaciation  and  destitution.  Vi'e  have 
followed  him  along  the  western  wilds  and  seen  him  fall  prostrated 
on  the  bed  of  the  generous  Englishmau  of  Loanda;  Ave  have 


582  DISAPPOINTED   AT   UJIJI. 

seen  him  battling  with  the  embarrassments  of  the  Portuguese 
communities  along  the  Zambesi  and  the  Shire.  But  even  his 
life,  so  full  of  trial  and  suffering,  had  received  a  deeper  shade 
during  these  years.  And  Ujiji  had  not  half  the  consolations  to 
offer  him  that  h*e  had  dreamed  of.  It  disappointed  him ;  it  had 
neither  letters  nor  medicine  for  him.  The  unfaithful  agents  to 
■whose  care  his  goods  had  been  committed  had  performed  his 
service  with  the  true  spirit  of  his  class,  had  plundered  the 
packages  and  left  a  remnant  to  their  owner.  The  medicines, 
wine  and  cheese  had  been  left  at  Unyanyembe,  thirteen  days 
travel  east  of  Ujiji,  and  the  way  blocked  up  by  a  Mazitu  war. 
A  few  articles,  however — coffee,  tea,  a  little  sugar,  and  some  good 
flannel  underclothing — contributed  very  much  to  his  comfort. 
Of  eighty  pieces  of  cloth,  sixty-two  pieces  had  been  stolen,  each 
measuring  twenty-four  yards,  and  similar  freedom  with  his 
beads  had  been  indulged  in.  , 

The  prominence  which  Ujiji  has  assumed  in  connection  with 
Dr.  Livingstone's  later  years  will  justify  us  in  more  extensive 
inquiries  about  it. 

The  name  Ujiji,  like  many  of  the  names  which  we  are  in 
danger  of  limiting  improperly  to  a  single  village,  when  reading 
books  of  African  travel,  distinguishes  a  district  bordering  on 
the  great  Lake  Tanganyika.  A  "district  of  surpassing  beauty 
and  fertility,"  according  to  Stanley.  "  The  most  productive 
province  in  this  section  of  the  country,"  according  to  Burton  ; 
where  vegetables  which  must  be  cultivated  elsewhere  seemed  to 
flourish  spontaneously.  The  earlier  Arab  settlers  planted  rice 
along  the  shores  of  the  lake  and  had  abundant  harvests.  Sorg- 
hum, manioc,  ground-nuts,  beans,  egg-plant,  sweet  potatoes, 
yams,  cucumbers,  and  artichokes,  are  all  in  the  list  of  creature 
comforts  which  are  to  be  found  in  Ujiji.  Sugar  canes,  tobacco 
and  cotton  are  conspicuous  articles  of  merchandise.  The  plan- 
tain and  Guinea  palm  flourish  like  aborigines  in  the  fertile  soil 
and  the  humid  atmosphere  of  the  district;  and  all  the  trees  and 
vinos  of  the  forests  exhibit  wonderful  luxuriance.  The  forests 
are  thronging  with  wild  beasts;  and  the  villanous  monkeys  find 
special  delight  in  most  informal  raids  on  the  gardens  of  their 
more  serious  neighbors.  T>ocusts  abound  in  great  numbers  and 
their  {\\c[\\t  resembles  a  dark  storm  cloud. 


:\I0CKTA1N    UF    IMO^KLY: 


FLIGHT   OF    LOCUSTS. 


WAJIJI   SALUTATIONS.  585 

The  human  inhabitants  who  assert  the  claim  of  their  nativity 
in  this  splendid  district,  the  Wajiji,  are  the  peers  of  any  tribe  in 
the  land  in  those  customs  and  characteristics  which  belong  to 
Africa.  But  thirty-five  years  ago  Arab  traders,  wlio  had 
already  established  markets  at  Unyanyembe,  penetrated  their 
country  and  were  eager  to  appropriate  the  advantages  which 
were  so  apparent  to  be  realized  by  establishing  a  market 
on  the  shores  of  the  beautiful  inland  sea ;  and  from  that  time 
their  country  had  become  more  and  more  a  common  ground  for 
all  the  surrounding  tribes,  tempted  by  the  clothes  and  beads  of 
the  Arabs.  And  the  great  market-place  of  their  chief  town  is 
a  grand  centre  for  many  thousand  square  miles.  The  traveller 
may  see  there  "the  agricultural  and  pastoral  Wajiji  themselves, 
Avith  their  store  of  grain,  their  flocks  and  herds ;  salt  merchants, 
from  Uvinza ;  ivory  merchants  from  Uvira  and  Usowa  ;  canoo 
makers  from  Ugomoand  Uvundi;  and  peddlers  from  Zanzibar; 
the  representatives  of  a  dozen  different  tribes  engaged  in  noisy 
chaffer  and  barter."  The  streets  of  this  strange  town  invite 
him  to  an  exhibition  of  as  various  customs  and  tempers,  and 
the  huts  cover  scenes  in  home  life  that  represent  an  area  of 
many,  many  miles.  The  salutations  of  a  people  are  among  the 
more  conspicuous  formalities,  and  the  Wajiji  are  not  behind  the 
foremost  in  fastidious  observance  of  the  formalities  of  their 
society.  It  is  a  question  whether  a  fashionable  lady  of  our 
country  would  survive  the  sight,  if  she  should  unexpectedly  be- 
hold a  Ujiji  belle  making  her  bow  to  a  gentleman  on  the  street. 
It  is  a  liberal  bow,  an  ardent,  enthusiastic  recognition ;  there  is 
no  mistaking  it,  no  danger  that  the  gallant  will  pass  by  anxiously 
querying  whether  his  lady  noticed  him.  We  are  at  a  loss  to 
describe  this  bow.  Imagine  yourself  a  young  Wajiji  gentleman, 
arrayed  in  your  best  robe  of  bark  cloth,  or  your  best  lion  skin, 
loitering  down  the  avenues  of  that  tropical  city,  a  tall  black 
Yenus  approaching  you  in  the  distance ;  as  she  draws  nearer,  you 
gaze  with  delight  on  the  shining  blackness,  and  wonder  that 
such  grace  is  allowed  to  mortals.  If  you  are  a  f(jrtune  hunter 
your  eye  catches  with  covetous  eagerness  the  splendid  bands  of 
brass  which  she  displays  as  carelessly  as  ever  a  fairer  lady  dis- 
played her  dainty  hand  with  bejewelled  fingers,  and  her  exquisite 
arm  with  glittering  bracelet.     If  only  beauty  charms  you,  you 


586  FORMAL   INTRODUCTIONS. 

will  dwell  on  the  wonderful  chiselling  of  the  kdy's  features,  that 
splendid  nose,  so  broadly  and  strongly  planted,  the  generous 
lips,  and  the  cheeks  adorned  with  wonderful  designs,  wrought 
in  the  black  waxy  surface  with  the  sharp  point  of  a  knife. 
But,  whoever  you  are,  and  however  you  are  affected  by  the 
lady's  presence,  when  you  have  well  confronted  her  it  will  be 
almost  killing,  to  behold  that  personification  of  African  decorum 
suddenly  pause,  and,  bending  forward,  place  her  hand  upon  her 
feet,  or,  if  a  more  familiar  friend,  to  have  the  punctilious  lady 
turn  suddenly  a  broadside  upon  you,  and  clapping  her  hands  furi- 
ously, break  forth  with  the  sonorous  salutation,  "  Wake,  wake, 
waky,  waky;  huh,  huh,"  and  if  you  should  be  a  real  Wajiji 
man  you  would  reply  by  clapping  your  hands  in  turn,  and 
catching  up  the  lady's  words,  you  would  repeat  them  with  an- 
swering earnestness.  But  we  are  not  to  imagine  that  the  cus- 
toms of  this  society  provide  for  such  impertinent  recognitions 
as  are  inflicted  on  people  sometimes  in  nearer  climes.  Wajiji 
gentlemen  would  as  soon  think  of  abandoning  their  splendid 
valley  as  surrendering  the  tedious  ceremony  of  introduction, 
which  is  on  this  wise :  a  mutual  acquaintance,  with  profound 
respect,  introduces  one  gentleman  to  another;  the  two  advance 
with  inimitable  gravity,  and  grasping  each  other  by  the  elbows, 
begin  to  rub  each  other's  arms  vigorously,  all  the  while  repeat- 
ing those  familiar  words  "  Wake,  wake,  waky,  waky,"  never 
failing  to  punctuate  their  sentences  with  the  significant  grunts, 
"  huh,  huh,"  in  token  of  the  absolute  satisfaction  they  have  in 
the  privilege  of  knowing  each  other. 

We  are  fully  mindful  that  the  elaborate  disposition  of  nature's 
cranial  covering  is  not  confined  to  Africa,  but  we  have  found  it  a 
matter  of  quite  as  much  importance  there  as  here,  and  one  in- 
volving marvels  of  design  and  workmanship,  before  which 
reams  of  twisted  "  papers  "  and  tons  of  curling  irons  might 
well  despair.  In  Wajiji,  now  and  then,  there  may  be  seen  a 
pate  bare  as  an  egg-shell — it  is  only  fashion  though  ;  more  fre- 
quently the  hair  is  left  in  "diagonal  and  horizontal  lines  or  in 
comlxs,  ridges,  tufts,  stripes,  with  dainty  frontal  curls  like  beau- 
catchers  ;  sometimes  there  are  left  only  narrow  bands  across  the 
front;  sometimes  the  lightest  and  most  fantastic  lines  of  wool 
are  to  be  seen  wrapping  the  crown,  and  if  not  dazzling,  at  least 
confounding  the  unaccustomed  gaze. 


A  EEPRESENTATIVE  WAJIJI.  587 

Witli  such  an  elaborate  crown  it  is  natural  to  expect  marvel- 
lous attendant  charms.  Most  eccentric  fancies  will  be  surprised 
by  the  designs  described  about  the  bodies,  arras,  and  legs. 
Tattooing  is  in  perfection  among  the  Wajiji,  as  among  most  of 
the  tribes  in  the  lake  region  ;  and  though  the  operation  must  be 
painful  indeed,  it  is  precisely  what  the  people  would  part  with 
last  of  all.  How  frequently  do  we  find  human  beings  clinging 
most  fondly  to  the  most  unreasonable  customs  at  the  sacrifice  of 
true  comfort !  There  is  not  any  conceivable  tyranny  so  unre- 
lenting and  severe  as  that  of  fashion.  "You  will  find  on  a 
representative  person  of  the  Wajiji  an  unconscionable  mystery 
of  wheels  and  lines.  About  each  breast  there  is  a  wheel,  and 
one  encircling  the  navel ;  wavy  lines  are  tattoed  on  the  arms, 
and  the  immovable  bracelets  about  the  wrist;  wavy  lines  ex- 
tend across  the  chest,  and  longer  lines,  with  perplexing  meander- 
ings,  extend  from  shoulders  to  hips,  crossing  on  the  abdomen  ; 
while  all  over  that  rotundity  there  are  most  unmeaning  blotches. 
It  is  wonderful  how  crazy  vanity  may  become;  it  is  almost  as 
profligate  of  its  ingenuity  in  Africa  as  in  America.  But  the 
Wajiji  are  not  satisfied  with  the  inseparable  decorations  of  their 
tattooing ;  their  vanity  knows  no  restraint  except  poverty.  How 
natural  that  is !  we  can  hardly  realize  that  so  familiar  a  speech 
applies  so  far  from  home,  but  it  does :  we  cannot  deny  it.  Some- 
times "  a  top  of  the  fashion  "  lady  may  be  seen  with  thirty  or 
forty  necklaces  of  beads  about  her  sable  neck,  and  numerous 
bracelets  of  beads,  and  belts  of  beads  twined  about  the  waist, 
and  depending  in  back  and  front  fi'om  the  neck ;  besides  the 
beads,  charms  innumerable,  of  ivory,  hippopotamus  teeth,  and 
boar's  tusks.  And  well  these  fine  ladies  understand  the  art  of 
arranging  the  dyed  robes  of  sheepskin  so  as  to  conceal  as 
little  as  possible  the  mysteries  of  their  toilets.  These  people 
are  skilful  manufacturers  of  cotton  cloth,  and  are  better  supplied 
with  that  commodity,  of  which  only  a  small  quantity  suffices  in 
completing  the  most  satisfactory  "make  up"  of  man  or  woman; 
for  what  is  the  use  of  making  one's  self  so  pretty  if  he  covers 
all  the  beauty  with  cloth  ? 

The  superstition  of  the  Wajiji  and  the  neighboring  tribes  is 
perhaps  more  decided  than  in  many  of  the  tribes  which  have 
become  known  to  us.     In  one  of  their  villages  Mr.  Stanley  saw 


588  THE   UJIJI   ARABS. 

an  idol,  the  tutelar  deity ;  it  was  the  image  of  a  human  head 
and  shoulders,  carved  in  wood,  painted,  the  face  white,  and 
staring  black  eyes.  Before  this  image  he  noticed  men  and 
women  as  they  past  bowing  profoundly,  as  the  Catholics  do 
when  they  pass  the  image  of  the  Virgin.  Innumerable  customs 
of  respect  and  precaution  grow  out  of  their  superstitious  which 
are  seen  cropping  out  daily.  But  we  may  detain  the  reader  too 
long  with  the  natives,  who  are  really  little  more  conspicuous 
than  the  people  of  many  other  tribes,  in  the  village  Ujiji,  as  Dr. 
Livingstone  found  it. 

Among  the  foreigners,  the  doctor  was  more  immediately 
associated  with  the  Arabs,  and  their  agents.  They  were  the 
resident  representatives  of  the  outside  M^orld.  The  more  promi- 
nent of  them  seemed  kind,  after  their  ideas  of  kindness ;  but 
either  by  their  dishonesty  or  their  unpardonably  bad  manage- 
ment he  suffered  distressing  inconveniences  and  losses,  and  in 
the  one  matter  of  most  vital  importance  they  failed  him  entirely. 
For  long  years  he  had  been  as  dead  to  his  friends ;  the  world 
had  mourned  his  loss,  only  the  more  sanguine  oi  the  people 
cherishing  the  hope  of  yet  hearing  of  him  as  alive.  And  now 
that  he  was  at  a  point  in  regular  intercourse  with  the  coast  his 
heart  bounded  with  delight  in  the  hope  of  sending  letters  away 
which  would  inform  his  friends  and  family  of  his  existence,  his 
succeases  and  his  hopes.  For  days  and  weeks  he  labored  over 
these  precious  pages,  but  to  his  great  sorrow  he  found  that  the 
Arabs  refused  to  send  them,  fearing,  as  he  guessed,  that  he  might 
complain  in  them  to  the  Zanzibar  authorities  of  their  conduct 
among  the  tribes  west  of  the  lake ;  and  when  at  last  he  com- 
mitted them  to  unwilling  hands  it  turned  out  that  he  might  as 
well  have  consigned  them  to  the  flames ;  for  the  word  of  such 
men  is  nothing  when  they  think  their  gains  are  involved  :  those 
letters  never  saw  the  light.  After  months  of  experience  among 
them  Dr.  Livingstone  was  constrained  to  pronounce  Ujiji  a  den 
of  the  worst  slave-traders,  compared  with  whom  those  he  had 
been  with  in  Urungu  and  Itawa  were  gentlemen.  They  were 
the  rivals  of  the  Portuguese  in  cruelty  and  meanness.  "  Their 
business,"  he  says,  "  was  not  a  trade  but  a  system  of  consecutive 
murders ;  they  go  to  plunder  and  kidnap ,  every  trading  trip  is  a 
foray."  They  were  continually  concocting  some  villanous  In- 
vasion of  the  tribes  unprovided  with  guns. 


VARIOUS   DIFFICULTIES.  580 

Prominent  among  the  representatives  of  this  nefarious  elass 
was  the  very  man  of  all  on  whom  he  had  been  instructed  to  de- 
pend, viz.,  Thani  bin  Suellim.  This  man  had  been  a  slave,  and 
had  from  that  degradation  risen  to  freedom  and  influence;  his 
countenance  told  unmistakably  the  meanness  of  his  spirit ;  he 
had  a  "disagreeable  squint  of  the  right  eye,  protruding  teeth, 
averted  lips,  and  the  light  mixed-breed  color ;  he  was  a  type 
of  the  vicious  African."  The  doctor  had  anxiously  awaited  his 
coming  from  Unyanyembe,  whence  he  arrived  on  the  20th  of 
May,  bringing  with  him  two  light  boxes,  for  which  he  demanded 
fourteen  fathoms  of  cloth,  although  the  carriage  had  been  pre- 
paid at  Zanzibar;  and  not  satisfied  with  this  extortion  and 
additional  presents,  succeeded  in  stealing  more,  and  in  a  short 
time  sent  a  demand  for  coffee :  when  this  was  declined  he  found 
a  bitter  revenge  in  sending  round  a  warning  to  all  the  Ujijians 
against  their  carrying  letters  for  the  traveller  to  the  coast. 

Livingstone  felt  very  anxious,  as  his  strength  returned,  to 
explore  the  .lake  thoroughly,  particularly  was  he  eager  to  trace 
its  northward  course  and  examine  the  reported  outlet  in  that 
direction;  but  his  supplies  were  so  reduced  by  the  plundering 
of  those  who  had  been  their  custodians,  and  it  was  so  manifest 
that  the  Arabs  and  their  associates  at  Ujiji  were  bent  on  fleecing 
him  entirely,  that  he  was  compelled  to  give  up  the  undertaking 
for  the  time.  But,  in  the  face  of  all  the  disappointments 
and  vexations  and  more  serious  discouragements,  his  purpose 
remained  firm  :  he  would  not  relinquish  his  work.  And  early 
in  July  we  find  him  with  his  back  upon  Ujiji,  and  his  face  to 
the  northwest,  bound  for  the  Manyuema  country. 

The  Manyuema  had  been  exempt  from  the  forays  of  the  Arabs, 
and  he  had  reason  to  hope  that  they  would  be  found  friendly. 
A  great  chief  was  reported  as  living  far  away  there  on  a  great 
river,  and  it  was  exhilarating  to  think  of  reaching  a  people  uu- 
contaminated  by  the  evil  influences  which  had  preceded  him  so 
generally,  in  all  the  regions  through  which  he  had  been  travelling. 
There  lay  before  him  a  vast  region  which  had  never  been  pene- 
trated even  by  the  trader,  a  region,  as  we  shall  find,  inhabited 
by  a  people  whose  customs  had  never  been  modified  by  foreign 
influences,  a  people  as  unlike  the  tribes  nearer  the  coast  as  their 
country  was  wilder  and  stranger  than  those  sections  where  the 


590  EELIGIOUSLY  VILLAXOUS  ? 

emissaries  of  a  semi-civilization  had  recorded  their  presence. 
But  it  was  inexpedient  for  even  so  bold  a  man  to  set  out  on 
such  a  journey  attended  only  by  the  five  or  six  young  men  who 
remained  to  him  of  his  old  escort ;  and  reluctant  as  he  was  to 
depend  on  such  an  agency,  he  was  obliged  to  embrace  the  oppor- 
tunity which  arose  of  continuing  his  labors  under  the  protection 
of  JNIohamad  Bogharib,  who  had  arranged  to  make  his  first 
jour-ney  into  the  country  within  a  short  time. 

Securing  canoes  at  Ujiji,  he  went  along  the  eastern  side  of  the 
lake  to  the  mouth  of  Kabogo  river,  just  under  the  shadow  of 
the  lofty  mountain  which  lends  its  name  to  the  stream.  From 
this  point  he  was  pulled  across  the  lake  and  joined  Mohamad 
on  Kasenge  islet.  Kasanga,  the  chief  of  this  island,  had  gone 
to  fight  the  Goraa.  After  a  few  days  delay,  during  which  a 
relative  of  Kasanga  was  engaged  to  act  as  guide,  and  various 
arrangements  perfected,  the  whole  party  embarked  from  Kasenge 
and  slept  that  night,  the  2d  of  August,  on  the  mainland  in  a 
copse  of  hooked  thorn.  Though  his  health  was  much  improved, 
the  doctor  was  still  very  weak,  and  even  the  short  march  of 
three  and  a  half  miles  along  the  lake  the  next  day  fatigued  him 
greatly. 

The  Arabs  had  begun  their  journey  in  all  solemnity ;  it  is 
marvellous  how  religiously  a  villanous  work  may  be  prosecuted. 
Mohamad  had  killed  a  lamb  in  sacrifice  to  Hadrajee,  and  said 
his  prayers  most  devoutly,  and  they  were  fully  under  way. 
Marching  away  from  Tanganyika,  they  crossed  first  the  Lo- 
yumba,  a  river  flowing  into  the  lake,  then  across  several  of  its 
tributaries,  on  across  a  hilly  region,  between  ranges  of  moun- 
tains, to  the  Lobumba,  which  under  a  succession  of  names  flows 
with  tortuous  course  into  the  Lualaba,  far  off^  in  the  northwest, 
beyond  Bambarre.  The  special  localities  could  not  be  fixed 
exactly,  because  of  the  unaccountable  superabundance  of  names. 
Countless  small  rivers  crossed  their  path  as  they  advanced.  The 
whole  of  August  and  twenty  days  of  September  were  occupied 
in  reaching  Bambarre,  which  until  then  had  been  the  limit  of 
even  the  Arab  travels.  They  had  crossed  many  beautiful  valleys 
and  splendid  forests  of  majestic  trees,  and  had  seen  such  speci- 
mens of  cassava  as  they  had  hardly  dreamed  of  before,  and 
penetrated  quite  into  the  heart  of  a  country  until  very  recently 


BAMBARRE.  '"591 

associated  iu  tlie  minds  of  traders  with  all  that  is  dreadful  and 
perilous. 

The  forests  had  supplied  abundance  of  meat  all  the  way,  and 
Mohamad  generously  divided,  as  of  old,  with  his  companion.  The 
warlike  natives  all  along  betrayed  by  their  curiosity  their  igno- 
rance of  such  strangers  as  they  saw  traversing  their  fields  and 
valleys.  The  paths  along  which  they  walked  had  the  appearance 
of  having  been  used  for  ages,  and  many  of  the  gigantic  trees 
rivalled  in  magnitude  those  monsters  of  the  west  which  the 
doctor  had  declared,  years  before,  that  he  would  put  against  a 
dozen  floods.  The  Arabs  had  shown  themselves  expert  hunters, 
and  over  and  over  they  provided  for  the  doctor  the  choicest  parts 
of  the  lordly  elephants  which  seemed  waiting  on  every  side  the 
hunter's  aim.  It  is  hardly  possible  for  one  inexperienced  in 
African  travel  to  realize  the  wildness  and  the  hardship,  the 
charm  and  weariness  of  such  a  journey.  From  the  3d  of  August 
to  the  21st  of  September  they  had  travelled  only  about  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  miles.  But  the  doctor's  strength  had  increased 
as  he  advanced,  and  he  found  himself  much  more  vigorous  when 
he  arrived  at  Bambarre  than  he  had  been  for  a  long  time. 

They  were  now  quite  in  the  heart  of  Manyuema,  among  a 
people  farther  removed  from  civilization  than  any  he  had  visited, 
compared  with  whom  indeed  all  the  tribes  which  he  had  visited 
formerly  might  be  called  civilized — thorough  savages,  on  whom 
not  one  ray  or  remote  reflection  of  Christianity  had  ever  fallen 
— a  people  of  whom  strange  stories  had  been  told,  whose  name 
inspired  the  more  ignorant  invaders  with  terror. 

The  great  chief,  Moenekuss,  whom  they  had  expected  to  find 
at  Bambarre,  had  been  called  away  by  the  messenger  who  accepts 
no  denial,  and  his  two  sons  were  found  in  his  place.  These 
men  were  named  Moenembagg  and  Moenemgoi ;  they  exercised 
a  joint  authority.  The  elder  was  the  wiser  and  the  chief 
spokesman  in  important  matters,  but  Moeyemgoi  seemed  to  be 
the  chief  centre  of  authority.  The  power  which  had  distin- 
guished Moenekuss  far  and  near  seemed  not  to  have  descended 
to  his  sons,  but  they  imitated  him  as  nearly  as  they  could  in  his 
deportment  toward  strangers. 

It  was  quite  manifest  that  these  brothers  looked  on  the  party 
with  considerable  suspicion,  and  to  assure  them,  Mohamad  re- 


592  THE   COVENANT. 

f^ortcd  to  the  singular  ceremony,  widely  prevalent  among  savage 
tribes,  knoAvn  as  mixing  blood.  In  this  ceremony  a  small  inci- 
sion was  made  in  the  forearm  of  each  person,  from  which  blood 
Avas  taken,  and  mixed,  in  the  midst  of  declarations  of  undying 
friendship.  Moenerabagg  said,  "Your  people  must  not  steal, 
we  never  do."  "  No  stealing  of  fowls  or  men,"  said  Moenem- 
goi.  "Catch  the  thief  and  bring  him  to  me;  one  who  steals  a 
person  is  a  pig,"  said  Mohamad,  and  so  the  compact  was  made. 
But  it  could  hardly  be  in  the  power  of  a  few  words  or  drops  of 
blood  to  compose  the  anxieties  of  a  people  so  ignorant  and 
isolated,  in  the  presence  of  those  who  seemed  to  them  to  have 
dropped  among  them  from  some  other  world.  And  the  bearing 
of  the  Arab  party,  nowhere  distinguished  for  any  special  regard 
for  their  covenants,  was  not  calculated  to  increase  the  confidence 
which  would  at  best  have  been  slowly*  formed.  The  slaves 
among  them  very  soon  began  their  light-fingered  attentions  to 
the  property  of  their  neighbors,  and  themselves,  in  turn,  became 
more  and  more  the  victims  of  a  terror,  far  worse  than  apprehen- 
sions of  losing  a  fowl  or  cloth ;  they  heard  much  of  the  man- 
eating  propensities  of  the  Manyuema.  According  to  his  custom, 
Dr.  Livingstone  had  a  house  put  up  for  himself  at  Bambarre. 
The  native  huts,  though  built  square,  were  very  low,  with  very 
low  doorways,  but,  unlike  many  of  the  tribes  nearer  the  coast, 
the  men  assume  the  labor  of  erecting  these  homes,  and  the  chief 
labor  of  the  fields ;  expecting  their  women  to  do  tlieir  part  in 
keeping  them  supplied  with  water  and  fuel.  Among  these  riide 
barbarians,  now  and  then  there  appeared  nobler  specimens, 
whose  minds  seemed  engaged  with  graver  problems  than  the 
questions  of  present  comfort  which  seemed  to  absorb  their 
fellows. 

Two  fine  young  men  came  to  visit  the  doctor,  and  after  vari- 
ous questions  about  his  country,  asked  him  whether  people  died 
there,  and  where  they  went  after  death.  "Who  kills  them?" 
they  asked,  and  "  Have  you  no  charm  against  death  ?  "  AVho 
knows  how  many  minds  there  are  in  untutored  darkness,  brood- 
ing over  the  mystery  of  the  grave,  and  wondering  whether  there 
be  really  no  brigliter  light  beyond  it  than  they  have,  minds 
waiting  for  the  story  which  so  many,  in  the  brightness  of  its 
light,  despise?     It  was  sorrowful,  indeed,  to  see  the  timid  de- 


WHAT   DOES   IT   MEAN?  59,3 

pcnclcnce  of  those  poor  creatures  on  their  charms,  which  possessing 
no  power  to  help,  arc  furnished  by  their  credulity,  with  dread- 
ful power  to  disappoint  them.  It  is  so  everywhere  in  some 
degree:  men  by  their  confidence  create  destroyers  of  agencies 
most  impotent — for  that  is  a  destroyer  which  disappoints  us 
in  the  hour  of  trial.  Dr.  Livingstone  found  a  large  beetle 
hanging  before  an  idol  in  a  house  of  a  deserted  and  burned  vil- 
lage. The  guardian  remained  amidst  the  ruins  which  it  could 
not  prevent,  liUe  a  mocker  of  man's  foolish  faith. 

Among  the  unfamiliar  customs  of  these  isolated  people,  there 
was  one  rite  which  seemed  to  link  them  with  other  lands  and 
ages.  Circumcision  was  found  to  be  commonly  observed.  It 
is  performed  on  the  young,  and  unlike  other  African  tribes  who 
have  it,  the  INIanyuema  speak  of  it  openly,  and  attend  it  with 
great  formalities  and  feasting.  Was  there  a  time  far  in  the 
past,  when  these  people,  so  benighted  now,  held  intercourse  with 
the  chosen  race?  Is  this  singular  rite  a  single  hint  of  privileges 
enjoyed  long,  long  ago?  Is  it  the  last  trace  of  a  knowledge  for- 
feited by  some  enormity  of  guilt?  How  is  it  that  this  particular 
rite  is  observed  and  honored  in  the  very  heart  of  African 
heathendom  ? 

Another  familiar  sight  was  afforded  the  doctor  in  Bambarre, 
which  he  did  not  need  to  wonder  about  a  moment — a  sight 
which  long  ago  had  been  stereotyped  before  him,  by  the  most 
pointed  lesson  :  those  dreadful  "  Liliputian  monsters,"  a  regi- 
ment of  soldier  ants,  marched  deliberately  into  his  quarters 
one  morning,  without  warning  or  invitation,  and  took  up  their 
quarters.  The  doctor  submitted  meekly,  but  another  day  there 
came  a  detachment  of  Sirufu,  known  as  driver  ants,  and  laid 
siege  to  the  party  so  snugly  housed.  A  pitched  battle  ensued, 
which  left  the  drivers  in  possession  ;  just  like  it  is  among  men — 
nation  succeeds  nation.  But  these  domineering  little  rascals 
are  often  paid  for  their  barbarities :  there  is  always  an  eater  for 
an  eater;  the  white  ants  are  a  delicacy  much  in  esteem  among 
the  people,  who  watch  their  time  and  build  shelters  over  the 
huge  al)odes  of  their  game,  just  when  they  are  about  sending 
forth  their  winged  colonies.  The  unsuspecting  colony,  bidding 
farewell  to  tlie  home  of  their  youth,  spread  their  wings,  and 
mounting  suddenly  in  tlie  air,  strike  against  the  roof  and  turn- 


594  AMAZED   BY   THE   GUNS. 

ble  down  in  confusion  on  the  ground,  their  loosely  hooked  wings 
all  detached  from  their  fat  bodies.  The  reader  will  remember 
how  artfully  their  wings  are  linked  to  them.  Once  on  the 
ground  the  cunning  men  sweep  them  up  in  baskets,  and  bear 
them  away  to  their  huts  in  epicurean  delight.  The  country  all 
about  Bambarre  was  alive  with  splendid  game,  and  there  were 
ample  opportunities  during  the  days  of  rest  to  astonish  the 
natives,  by  the  display  of  the  marvellous  powers  of  ball  and 
powder.  The  natives  were  amazed  by  the  guns.  Their  own 
poisoned  arrows  were  weapons  not  to  be  despised,  but  the  sight 
of  guns,  the  loud  report,  the  crushing  force  of  the  ball,  the  flash- 
ing of  the  powder,  were  to  them  the  climax  of  the  mysterious 
and  awful.  The  huge  animals,  however,  of  the  forest,  though 
as  much  terrified,  were  in  their  deeper  ignorance  not  more  re- 
spectful than  they  should  be,  even  though  guns  were  about ;  the 
hunter  in  an  African  forest  can  never  be  too  much  impressed 
with  the  importance  of  constant  vigilance. 

It  is  no  uncommon  thing  for  the  unwary  or  the  inexperienced 
to  find  themselves  suddenly  charged  by  the  infuriated  monsters 
which  they  have  ventured  to  insult  too  audaciously.  Nearer 
the  coast,  where  hunters  have  ventured  more  commonly,  we 
have  read  of  a  party,  w^ho,  taking  with  them  a  few  natives, 
marched  into  the  forests  to  "  bag  an  elephant  or  two."  The 
natives,  arrayed,  to  their  delight,  in  old  shirts,  were  sent  ahead 
equipped  with  muskets,  to  find  the  game;  hardly  had  they  dis- 
appeared, when  the  reports  of  their  guns  quite  near  at  hand 
Avere  quickly  followed  by  a  tremendous  crashing  of  trees  and 
brushwood  and  the  dreadful,  unmistakable  trumpet-like  scream- 
ing, and  back  the  men  came  followed  by  three  or  four  huge 
elephants  in  furious  pursuit.  The  fleet  limbs  of  the  men  were  of 
poor  avail;  the  monsters  dashed  over  them  in  a  moment,  knock- 
ing them  right  and  left  as  they  passed,  and  went  rushing  away 
into  the  deeper  forests.  Elephants  are  elephants  everywhere, 
and  arc  thd  victims  of  skill  and  caution  more  than  of  the  fierce 
courage  which  in  our  fancies  we  sometimes  dream  of  matching 
against  wild  beasts.  The  Manyuema  greatly  admired  the  ease 
with  which  the  strangers  made  themselves  master  of  these  great 
prizes.  But  such  employment,  though  it  entertained  the  natives, 
poorly  repaid  the  toil  and  expense  at  which  Mohamad  had  como 


UNSATISFACrrORY.  595 

to  their  country,  while  they  exhibited  such  unwillingness  to 
trade.  He  had  Iieard  that  the  Manyuema  were  anxious  for 
slaves,  and  had  brought  great  numbers,  but  found  that  the  re- 
])orts  had  been  unfounded ;  and  the  conduct  of  a  trader,  named 
Diigumbe  Hassani,  wlio  only  a  short  time  before  had  come  this 
fur  and  indulged  in  great  barbarities,  under  pretence  of  buying 
ivory,  hud  excited  a  prt^judice  against  the  Arab  guide,  which 
threatened  constantly  to  break  out  in  open  revenge.  Dr, 
Livingstone  had  no  desire  to  sit  down  in  Bambarre,  while  the 
Lualaba  was  flowing  so  near  him.  And  Mohamad  was  restless 
while  his  slaves  were  eating  their  heads  off.  Both  were  eager 
for  action. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

MANYUEMA. 

Manynema  Country — The  Paramount  Chief— Independent  Villages — Living- 
stone's Object — Leaves  Barabarre— Westward — Splendid  Scenery — Villages — 
Architecture  of  Manyuema — Character  of  the  People — Hidden  Villages — 
Curiosity  of  Villagers — Evil  Influence  of  Traders  —  Prejudices  Aroused — 
Heturn  to  Bambarre — Ujiji  Hood — Five  Hundred  Guns — Livingstone's  Com- 
l^anion — Sets  out  from  Bambarre  Second  Time — Appearance  of  Country — Huta 
in  Trees — Elephant  Traps — Bloody  Feuds— Omnipresent  Love— Newly  Marrietl 
Couple — Dreadful  Swamps — Timely  Hospitality — Promise  of  Letter — Hindered 
Again — Slave-Traders'  Barbarities — Dreadful  Murders — Katoma's  Camp — De- 
serted by  Followers — Three  only  Faithful — Singing  Frog — A  Nursing  Fish — 
Musicians — Livingstone's  Resolution — Chuma,  Susi  and  Gardner — A  Man 
Killed — Meets  Mohamad  Bogharib— A  New  Afiliction — Disappointment — Pe- 
turn  to  Bambarre — Long  Sickness— Manyuema  Dreadful  Cannibals— Blood- 
thirsty — Delight  in  Murder — The  Soko — Soko  Hunt — Soko  and  Leopard — 
Soko  and  Lion—"  Soko  is  a  Man  " — Impatience — Despondency — Hope  Re- 
vived— Men  and  Letter  Arrive  from  Zanzibar — New  Difliculties — Trouble  with 
New  Men — Another  Start — Conscience  Clear— His  Plan — His  Longing — A 
Young  Soko— On  New  Ground — Charming  Scenery — Village  Happiness — 
Trials— The  Lualaba  at  Last. 

Feeling  himself  as  well  rested  as  he  could  hope  to  be,  Dr. 
Livingstone  was  naturally  impatient  to  be  about  the  work  which 
lay  before  him ;  but  it  would  be  an  inflictioa  of  unnecessary 
w^eariness  on  the  reader  if  we  should  lead  him,  step  by  step,  with 
the  great  traveller,  detaining  him  where  the  hero  was  detained 
and' compelling  him  to  traverse  over  and  over  the  same  ground, 
as  the  actor  of  the  story  was  obliged  to  do.  It  should  be  borne 
in  mind  that  all  the  incidents  in  these  eventful  years  were  within 
a  circle  of  hardly  one  hundred  miles  diameter — a  wild  moun- 
tainous district,  inhabited  by  people  who  acknowledged  no 
paramount  chief,  hundreds  of  independent  villages,  between 
which  no  sort  of  sympathy  or  intercourse  existed,  where  every 
man's  hand  was  against  his  neighbor.  The  great  object  whicli 
had  drawn  Dr.  Livingstone  there  was  the  river  which  flowed 
along,  as  he  knew,  somewhere  on  the  western  border  of  this 
country,  and  it  was  necessary  to  pass  through  these  wilds  in 
596 


MANYUEMA   COUNTKY.  597 

orrlor  that  he  might  continue  his  explorations  of  that  river, 
M-hich  he  had  already  traced  from  its  source  near  Lake  Liemba 
through  the  Bangweolo  and  Lake  Mocro,  and  which  he  hoped  to 
demonstrate  to  be  the  real  Nile.  Such  was  the  goal  toward 
wliicli  he  was  straining  every  nerve,  for  wdiich  he  was  enduring 
ull  things. 

Ills  first  journey  through  the  country  was  a  short  detour  from 
Bambarre,  made  in  November,  1870.  Attended  by  his  own  men 
and  a  party  of  Mohamad's  followers,  he  set  out  westward  in 
hope  of  reaching  the  Lualaba  and  purchasing  a  canoe  for  its 
exploration.  This  short  trip  revealed  much  splendid  scenery 
and  gave  him  some  insight  into  the  characters  and  customs  of 
the  people.  He  describes  the  country  as  "  surpassingly  beauti- 
ful," and  the  villages  perched  along  the  crests  of  the  lofty  hills 
and  mountains  were  pictures  of  neatness  and  comfort.  Much 
forethought  as  well  as  taste  had  Tdccu  displayed  in  the  arrange- 
ment of  these  villages.  The  streets  were  generally  east  and 
west,  that  the  warm  sun-rays  might  stream  down  them  with 
unbroken  power,  licking  up  quickly  the  moisture.  The  dwell- 
ings were  generally  in  a  line,  and  at  each  end  of  the  street  there 
were  public  meeting-houses.  The  houses  were  square,  with  low 
i*oofs,  most  artfully  thatched  with  a  leaf  resembling  the  banana, 
probably  a  species  of  the  euphorbia.  Within  these  humble 
abodes  were  clean  and  comfortable  and  testified  to  the  attentions 
of  industrious  housewives.  And  M'hat  M-as  a  very  pleasing 
feature  of  them  they  had  never  known  the  presence  of  the 
abominable  bugs,  which  are  to  be  found  only  where  the  filthy 
slaves  of  the  Arabs  have  been.  In  each  of  these  homes  the  eye 
is  arrested  by  numbers  of  earthen  pots  hung  by  neat  cord- 
swinging  tressels  to  the  ceiling,  and  large  quantities  of  firewood 
neatly  arranged  by  the  provident  matrons. 

The  tops  of  the  lofty  hills  and  mountain  crests  were  adorned 
with  magnificent  palm  forests  waving  gracefully  in  every  breeze, 
and  saluting  each  other  across  intervening  forests  of  gigantic 
trees,  about  which  most  vigorous  climbing  vines  twine  them- 
selves, reaching  from  branch  to  branch  and  dropping  here  and 
there  in  graceful  festoons  and  forming  fantastic  arciies  every- 
where, beneath  which  various  wild  fruit  trees  grew,  feasting  with 
their  wealth  multitudes  of  monkeys  and  birds.     The  country 


598  STRANGE    CHARACTERS. 

was  charming,  but  every  day  revealed  darker  shades  in  the 
characters  of  the  people;  deeper  degradation  had  never  con- 
fronted Dr.  Livingstone,  though  no  man  had  seen  so  much  of 
Africa  as  he.  Every  village  seemed  to  be  estranged  from  all 
the  rest  by  some  deadly  feud,  and  every  man  needed  to  protect 
his  life. 

Their  characters  abounded  in  strange  contradictions;  conspicu- 
ously honest  and  sincere,  they  were  absolutely  distrustful ;  with 
unquestionable  kindness  they  joined  horrid  bloodthirstiness. 
This  indeed  seemed  to  be  their  one  great  blemish  ;  industrious, 
temperate,  handsome,  honest  and  cleanly,  they  found  delight  in 
killing;  and  though  the  charitable  traveller  was  slow  to  believe 
the  reports  which  were  floating  about  on  every  breath  of  their 
cannibal  propensities,  he  was  destined  soon  to  give  up  all  doubt 
of  it.  The  pretty  villages,  so  full  of  golden  sunshine,  so  com- 
fortable and  neat,  were  all  entirely  isolated ;  there  was  no  com- 
munication between  them ;  the  man  from  one  who  ventured  to 
another  forfeited  his  head  without  judge  or  jury.  Many  of  these 
villages  were  almost  entirely  concealed ;  so  thoroughly  had  the 
work  been  done  that  a  traveller  ignorant  of  the  country  might 
easily  pass  within  a  few  yards  of  them  without  being  aware  of 
their  proximity. 

The  most  serious  annoyance  experienced  in  those  parts  which 
had  been  exempt  from  the  presence  of  traders  was  in  the  curiosity 
of  the  people,  who  were  entirely  unrestrained  by  any  sense  of 
propriety ;  they  were  the  most  impertinent  gazers  the  doctor  had 
ever  seen,  and  though  considerably  inured  to  the  ordeal  of  free 
inspection  which  every  stranger  must  submit  to  in  African  vil- 
lages^ he  was  intolerably  bored  by  the  unceasing  stare  of  men 
and  women,  who  did  not  hesitate  to  push  down  the  door  of  his 
hut  to  indulge  their  curiosity.  But  when  he  came  into  the  dis- 
tricts which  had  been  visited  by  Dugumbe  Hassani's  bands  there 
was  graver  trouble.  This  man  had  ventured  as  far  as  Bam- 
barrc,  as  we  have  seen,  and  gathered  immense  quantities  of  ivory 
just  before  Livingstone  and  Mohamad  Bogharib  came  into  the 
country  ;  he  w^ts  the  first  of  the  traders,  and  though  he  had  pene- 
trated only  so  short  a  distance  his  brutal  conduct  had  enraged 
the  whole  population,  and  they  would  extend  no  hospitality  nor 
listen  to  offers  of  trade,  but  insisted  on  the  strangers  going  away. 


MOHAMAD    BOGHARIB.  599 

No  violence,  however,  was  offered,  and  great  caution  seemed  to 
be  exercised  by  the  head  men  of  the  villages  to  avoid  any  col- 
lision with  the  travellers.  They  were  in  great  terror  of  guns, 
and  seemed  to  feel  that  their  lives  only  were  sought  and  that  all 
the  questions  about  ivory  were  only  a  blind  used  to  secure  an 
advantage  of  them.  During  this  journey  the  doctor  came  within 
ten  miles  of  the  confluence  of  the  Luama  and  the  Lualaba,  but 
it  was  impossible  to  find  any  one  who  would  sell  him  a  canoe, 
or  any  other  attentions  which  might  induce  them  to  remain  in 
the  country. 

He  returned  to  Bambarre  on  the  19th,  and  found  that  while 
he  was  away  a  large  herd  6f  Ujijians  had  come  there  eager  for 
the  ivory,  rumors  of  which  had  already  spread  through  the 
country  and  produced  great  excitement.  Thus  in  the  very 
initiation  of  this  new  expedition  he  found  himself  again  sur- 
rounded by  the  disadvantages  which  would  inevitably  result 
from  the  presence  of  the  most  vicious  characters  the  world  can 
produce.  Mohamad,  though  a  trader  buying  ivory  and  slaves, 
belonged  to  a  better  class  of  men,  and  while,  if  circumstances 
had  permitted,  Dr.  Livingstone  would  have  preferred  other 
company,  he  was  kind,  and  too  respectful  of  the  views  and 
interests  of  his  companion  to  indulge  in  such  a  line  of  policy  as 
would  seriously  incommode  him  if  it  could  be  easily  avoided, 
and  withal  conducted  his  business  with  more  of  the  spirit  of  the 
traders  who  had  escorted  the  doctor  through  the  country  of 
Nsama.  The  Ujiji  company  had  five  hundred  guns,  and  were 
anxious  to  have  IMohamad  accompany  them  ;  he  declined  doing 
so  and  waited  for  Dr.  Livingstone's  return.  When  they  were 
together  again,  Livingstone  tried  hard  to  get  his  friend  to 
abandon  the  slaving  part  of  his  business,  but  it  was  no  easy 
matter  to  work  so  great  a  change  in  the  views  and  conduct  of 
one  so  long  accustomed  to  the  finding  of  his  revenues  in  that 
uniioly  traffic ;  though  it  cannot  be  doubted  that  he  learned 
moderation,  and  caught  something  of  the  spirit  of  kindness 
which  pervaded  all  the  actions  of  the  Christian. 

It  was  the  day  after  Christmas  before  our  party  started  the 
second  time  from  Bambarre.  They  then  took  a  more  northern 
direction,  almost  at  right-angles  \vith  the  late  route  of  the  doctor, 
and  crossed  the  Luama  near  the  villa2;e  of  IMonansroi,  and  on 


GOO  OMNIPRESENT   LOVE. 

fifty  or  sixty  miles  north  across  a  succession  of  forests.  In  many 
places  the  forests  had  been  cleared  away  and  gigantic  grasses 
had  usurped  the  clearances ;  as  they  advanced  large  trees  were 
now  and  then  passed,  in  whose  branches  many  parrots  had  made 
their  nests,  and  sometimes  far  away  from  the  ground  they  saw 
huts  of  men  lodged  on  the  huge  limbs  of  these  lonely  sentinels 
like  watch-towers,  or  places  of  refuge  for  their  builders  from  the 
wrath  of  their  enemies.  The  villagers  they  met  were  civil, 
but  rushed  about  them  like  noisy  children,  and  many  of  Mo- 
hamad's followers,  unused  to  the  ways  of  such  wild  men,  were 
terrified,  and  expected  every  moment  to  be  killed  and  eaten. 
The  people  were  generally  models  of  symmetry,  and  their  art 
had  done  but  little  to  conceal  their  fine  proportions  beside  their 
necklaces  and  copper  rings  on  wrists  and  ankles.  Their  skill 
was  confined  to  the  arrangement  of  the  hair,  which  the  women 
seemed  to  have  special  pleasure  in  weaving  into  basket-form 
behind.  The  men,  though  masters  with  the  spear  and  the  bow, 
had  resorted,  like  many  other  tribes,  to  traps  for  the  common- 
place work  of  securing  game.  Huge  elephant  traps  were  seen 
in  many  places,  not  unlike  those  described  as  in  use  in  the  south. 

The  country  was  teeming  with  people  and  multitudes  of 
hidden  villages,  which  were  approached  along  the  beds  of  rivulets 
that  no  foot-mark  might  betray  them  to  an  enemy.  No  higher 
law  than  force  had  been  dreamed  of;  the  idea  of  confederation 
had  never  penetrated  their  gloom ;  as  many  independent  states 
as  there  were  villages  crowded  that  small  area,  and  blood  that 
cried  for  vengeance  seemed  to  divide  and  isolate  them  all.  The 
men  were  always  around,  and  rushed  about  them  continually, 
bearing  heavy  wooden  shields.  But  tenderer  passions  existed 
too;  children  played  as  innocently  as  anywhere, and  love,  omni- 
present love,  for  God  is  love,  shed  a  light  which,  though  it  could 
not  overpower  the  darkness  of  the  deep  depravity,  did  soften  the 
gloom  a  little.  In  one  place  they  saw  a  newly-married  couple 
standing  by  the  way,  their  arms  around  each  other  lovingly,  and 
nobody  mocked  them  for  their  love  as  more  enlightened  people 
might  have  done. 

The  marching  was  very  difficult ;  the  tall  grass  and  dense 
ve<»-etation,  even  when  the  rains  suspended,  in  turn  impeded 
their  progress  and  drenched  them  with  their  dripping  leaves. 


GREAT    SUFFERINGS.  GOl 

Dr.  Livingstone  soon  found  his  strength  failing  again,  and  be- 
came the  prey  of  a  most  trying  disease ;  besides  frequent  fevers 
he  was  attacked  witii  severe  choleraic  purging.  He  had  no 
medicine;  Mohamad  had  opium,  but  that  had  no  effect.  Some 
relief  was  found  in  boiling  the  water  which  he  used,  but  he 
struggled  on  in  great  weakness.  Mohamad,  too,  suffered.  The 
incessant  wetting  brought  on  rheumatism,  and  the  whole  party 
complained.  As  they  advanced  northward  the  vegetation  be- 
came more  and  more  luxuriant — the  whole  country  was  smoth- 
ered with  it;  "an  indescribable  jungle  of  grass,  which  only 
elephants  could  break  through,"  received  them  whenever  they 
descended  from  the  rounded  hills.  Passing  through  these 
jungles  the  feet  were  constantly  entangled  among  the  reeds, 
while  the  face  and  eyes  were  lashed  by  the  leaves.  One  of 
these  valleys  had  been  taken  possession  of  by  the  INIuabe  palm ; 
the  doctor  says,  "The  leaf-stalks  of  these  palms  were  as  thick 
and  strong  as  a  man's  arm,  and  full  twenty  feet  long.  Many 
of  these  had  fallen  off  and  blocked  uj)  all  passage  except  one 
path  made  and  mixed  up  by  the  feet  of  buffaloes  and  elephants." 
"  In  places  like  this,"  he  continues,  "  the  leg  would  frequently 
sink  into  the  holes  made  by  elephants'  feet  up  to  the  thighs." 
Three  long  hours  the  party  toiled  through  this  dreary  swamp. 
Across  a  stream  in  this  valley  they  found  a  natural  bridge  of 
matted  vegetation  strong  enough  to  bear  a  man's  weight,  and 
conspicuous  in  the  texture  of  it  were  many  sacred  lilies.  Worn 
out  entirely  by  these  dreadful  jungles  they  stopped  one  day  by 
a  village  surrounded  by  gardens  of  maize,  bananas,  groundnuts, 
and  cassava.  The  doctor  had  fallen  behind  the  main  body  of 
Mohamad's  men,  and  was  almost  fainting.  The  little  village 
looked  like  a  paradise;  he  longed  to  rest,  but  the  villagers  "did 
not  want"  him.  A  woman  came  forward — a  woman  with 
leprous  hand — and  tendered  him  her  hut ;  it  was  a  nice  clean 
one,  and  he  entered  it  just  in  time  to  escape  a  very  heavy  rain. 
His  hostess  quickly  prepared  him  food,  and  brought  it  to  hini 
and  kindly  pressed  him  to  eat.  "  You  are  weak  only  from  hun- 
ger," she  said;  "this  will  strengthen  you."  He  could  not  tell 
that  he  feared  the  leprosy,  and  took  the  food  and  put  it  out 
of  her  sight.  It  will  be  a  long  time  we  think  before  a  human 
being  travels  beyond  the  range  of  human  kindness.     There  can 


G02  GROUNDS    OF    COXFIDEXCE. 

hardly  be  a  land  where  liuman  hearts  fail  utterly  to  answer  the 
touch  of  God's  benevolence  in  deeds  of  love,  and  it  seems  to  be 
woman's  office  to  preserve  longest  and  truest  those  primeval 
impulses  which  redeem  our  fallen  state  from  absolute  sorrow, 
and  to  catch  most  readily  the  tenderer  inspirations  of  nature, 
which  restrain  our  evil  passions  like  the  will  of  Deity.  Living- 
stone would  not  have  been  himself  if  he  had  Tailed  to  bless  the 
motherly  heart  which  opened  so  promptly  to  his  distress.  And 
we  will  be  less  than  men,  if  the  veins  of  goodness  that  we  find 
in  barbarians  are  lost  sight  of  in  our  abhorrence  of  their  crimes; 
less  than  Christians  if  the  degradation  of  a  people,  whose  char- 
acters retain  even  the  faintest  hints  of  a  claim  to  a  common 
brotherhood  with  us,  moves  us  not  to  compassion ;  and  infidels 
if  we  despair  of  witnessing  the  power  of  the  Cross  to  elevate  any 
people  in  whose  breasts  there  are  the  feeblest  responses  to  the 
mandates  of  benevolence. 

The  prejudices  of  the  villagers,  which  were  now  becoming 
so  annoying  again,  were  owing  to  the  fact  that  they  were  coming 
on  the  track  of  the  herd  of  Ujijians  who  were  mentioned  as 
passing  Bambarre  some  time  before.  The  traders  had  becotno 
the  one  sorrow  of  Dr.  Livingstone's  life,  as  they  were  the  great 
curse  of  the  natives. 

Having  followed  the  Chimunemune  hills  westward,  and 
made  a  circuit  of  the  bolder  Bininango  hills  in  the  neighborhood! 
of  the  river  Lira,  and  finding  himself  disappointed  greatly  in 
his  hopes  of  reaching  the  Lualaba  in  that  direction,  he  turned 
south  again  with  Mohamad  and  came  down  seven  days'  man^h 
to  Mamohela,  where  Katomba  had  his  camp,  while  his  emissaries 
scoured  the  country  in  search  of  ivory.  It  was  now  five  months 
since  Livingstone  reached  Bambarre,  and  already  the  whole 
country  of  ISIanyuema  wjts  swarming  with  Arab  traders  and 
thair  slave  bands,  who  had  rushed  like  vultures  to  the  carcass 
on  the  wonderful  reports  which  had  reached  them.  Already  his 
work  seemed  to  be  threatened  with  inevitable  fiiilure ;  the 
atrocities  of  the  bands  of  slave  soldiers  and  servants,  to  whom 
the  Arabs  committed  the  work  of  collecting  their  booty,  had  so 
enraged  the  Manyuema  that  it  was  at  the  risk  of  a  man's  life 
to  attem})t  the  shortest  journey  except  with  a  strong  force  of 
armed   men.     And  while   he  could   not  separate  himself  from 


LlIU.MAII    AND    SUftl. 


CIIUMA,   SUSI   AND    GARDNER.  605 

tlicm,  it  was  very  manifest  that  the  traders  were  unwilling  to 
have  one  whom  they  considered  a  spy  taking  notes  of  their 
actions.  Every  day  there  came  fresh  reports  of  murders;  now 
twenty  killed,  another  day  forty,  and  again  ten,  on  most  trifling 
pretences.  In  the  midst  of  it  all  his  own  followers,  the 
Johanna  men,  all  but  three,  forsook  him;  and  of  his  old  com- 
pany only  Chuma,  Susi  and  Gardner  remained  to  him. 

While  he  had  remained  at  the  camp  of  Katomba,  trying  to 
regain  his  strength,  Mohamad  had  gone  away  after  ivory,  and 
he  was  left  with  his  own  little  band  ;  these  were  now  only  three, 
but  with  them  we  find  this  wonderful  man,  the  last  of  June, 
1870,  again  setting  his  face  northwest,  when  he  was  really 
hardly  able  to  walk.  AVe  hardly  know  which  to  admire  most, 
the  courage  and  perseverance  of  the  explorer,  or  the  faithfulness 
of  those  three  young  men,  who,  resisting  all  the  temptations  of 
gain,  offered  by  association  with  the  Arabs,  and  facing  all  the 
perils  of  the  enraged  people  who  they  were  now  convinced  were 
really  man-eaters,  marched  bravely  with  him. 

This  was  only  a  short  journey.  The  people  were  civil  for 
fear,  and  frequently  offered  food,  though  they  did  not  hesitate  to 
say  that  they  only  allowed  the  stranger  to  live  because  they 
feared  the  guns.  As  an  illustration  of  the  dreadful  outrages 
which  they  w^ere  suffering,  Livingstone  passed  through  eleven 
villages  burned  about  one  string  of  beads.  Beside  the  evils 
invariably  attending  the  forays  of  these  traders,  the  peculiar  con- 
dition of  the  Manyuema  gave  rise  to  innumerable  barbarities 
Avhich  would  not  have  occurred  in  other  countries.  We  have  re- 
marked the  singular  isolation  of  the  villages,  and  the  bitter 
feuds  existing  between  them;  the  foolish  head  men  of  these  vil- 
lages took  advantage  of  the  presence  of  these  marauders  and 
often  hired  bands  of  them,  by  gifts  of  goats  and  ivory,  to 
destroy  the  village  of  their  enemies;  so  that  they  were  in  their 
blindness  paying  for  the  very  desolations  which  so  incensed 
them,  paying  the  Arabs  to  do  that  which  they  hated  them  so 
bitterly  for. 

Surrounded  by  such  gigantic  evils  an  ordinary  man  would 

have  hardly  been  able  to  think  of  the  rivulets,  and  plants,  and 

insects,  and  animals,  or  notice  the  little  peculiarities;  but  this 

man  had  an  eye  for  everything,  and  it  was  not  in  the  power  of 

31 


GOG  A  SIX-GIXG    FKOG. 

anything  which  left  him  life  to  prevent  him  throwing  light  for 
the  world  on  all  that  he  was  permitted  to  see.  In  the  midst  of 
a  drenching  rain,  thoroughly  perplexed  and  broken  down,  he 
sat  and  watched  the  antics  of  a  tiny  frog  which  leaped  on  a 
grassy  leaf  in  front  of  him,  and  sang  for  him  a  very  sweet  tune, 
as  clearly  and  loudly  as  a  bird  could  have  done;  and  all  his 
fatigue  could  not  repress  the  interest  he  felt  in  the  ludicrous 
problem  which  occurred  to  him :  "  How  can  so  much  music 
come  out  of  so  small  a  musician  ?  " 

Another  singular  creature  came  under  his  notice — a  large  fish, 
which  astonished  him  witli  loud  cries,  and  more  still  by  the 
exhibition  of  breasts  full  of  milk  with  which  she  nourished  her 
young ;  and  lengthening  tlie  list  of  wonders,  an  elephant  with 
three  tusks,  one  of  which  was  planted  firmly  on  his  proboscis. 
But  he  was  not  only  dependent  on  these  lower  orders  for  some- 
thing to  break  the  force  of  the  trials  which  oppressed  him — the 
jDCople  soon  learned  to  distinguish  him  from  those  with  whom 
he  was  associated,  and  seemed  glad  to  please  him  from  other 
reasons  than  fear.  At  one  village  he  was  entertained  by 
musicians  who  brought  their  "calabashes,  having  holes  in  them, 
flute  fashion,"  and  displayed  before  him  their  attainments  in 
drum-beating  and  grotesque  acting.  But  he  could  not  lose 
sight  of  the  perilous  life  he  was  leading.  One  night,  not  far 
from  his  sleeping-place,  some  one  entered  a  camp  of  sleeping 
Arabs  and  pinned  one  of  their  number  to  the  ground  with  a 
spear. 

We  can  see,  perhaps,  more  clearly  than  he  saw  it,  that  it  was 
a  kind  providence  which  brought  him  into  the  path  of  I\Ioluimad 
before  he  had  advanced  many  days.  From  these  men,  who  had 
been  a  considerable  distance  north,  he  learned  that  the  Lualaba 
could  not  be  seen  in  that  direction.  He  would  be  obliged  to 
turn  southwest  again  to  reach  it.  He  knew  very  well  that  he 
could  not  possibly  go  far  that  w\ay,  under  the  circumstances, 
with  so  few  followers,  and  hinisclf  dreadfully  afflicted  with 
ulcerated  feet.  This  trouble  was  one  which  he  had  never  ex- 
perienced before,  and  threatened  to  become  one  of  the  severest 
trials  of  his  life.  There  was  no  alternative,  and  thoroughly 
baffled  for  the  time  he  turned  sadly  back  and  with  great  diffi- 
culty reached  Bambarre  again. 


HORRIBLE   CANNIBALISM.  G07 

He  was  now  utterly  helpless ;  the  sores  on  his  feet  had  be- 
come irritable,  eating  ulcers;  "if  the  foot  was  put  on  the 
ground  there  was  ininiediately  a  discharge  of  bloody  ichor,  and 
the  same  discharge  occurred  every  night,  attended  with  great 
pain.  This  dreadful  affliction  is  common  in  all  the  slave- 
camps,  and  the  cries  of  the  sufferer  are  a  nightly  sound."  En- 
tirely deprived  of  medicine  he  was  dependent  on  such  remedies 
as  could  be  furnished  by  Mohamad,  who  continued  a  steadfast 
friend.  Eighty  days  he  was  confined  to  his  hut  not  able  to  take 
a  step,  and  months  after  his  sores  began  healing  he  was  still 
obliged  to  remain  in  Bambarre.  But  he  was  not  idle :  the  time 
was  improved  in  picking  up  knowledge  of  the  customs  of  the 
people  and  the  face  of  the  country,  which,  while  not  so  satis- 
factory to  him,  was  some  compensation  for  the  long  confinement. 

There  could  be  no  longer  any  doubt  about  the  variety  of  the 
stories,  concerning  the  cannibal  propensities  of  the  people  of 
Manyuema ;  instance  after  instance  came  to  his  ears,  and  over 
and  over  for  himself  he  saw  unmistakable  evidences  of  their 
barbarity.  The  people  of  other  districts  seemed  only  to  cat 
those  men  taken  in  battle,  and  the  idea  of  revenge  seemed  to  be 
prominent  in  their  minds  in  doing  so,  but  in  Bambarre  it  was 
clearly  the  depravity  of  taste :  the  people  were  eager  for  human 
flesh,  and  INIohamad  was  obliged  to  threaten  them  with  whole- 
sale slaughter  to  prevent  their  digging  up  the  dead  bodies  of 
his  men  who  died.  They  themselves  have  no  graves:  their  dead 
are  eaten.  The  skull  only  of  the  great  chief  Moenekuss  was  pre- 
served; his  body  was  eaten  and  even  the  flesh  from  the  skull, 
which  had  been  carefully  scraped.  These  horrid  creatures, 
horrid  in  this  single  disgusting  appetite,  would  assemble  in 
crowds  about  the  village  where  an  execution  was  to  take  place, 
like  ravenous  wolves.  He  had  found  rumors  all  through  the 
south  of  a  dreadful  tribe  of  man-eaters  in  the  northwest,  and 
had  counted  them  fables ;  but  here  he  was  in  the  midst  of  that 
very  tribe,  talking  with  them,  receiving  kindnesses  at  their 
hands,  really  admiring  them  on  some  accounts,  struck  with 
their  beauty  and  symmetry,  and  often  touched  with  little  exhi- 
bitions of  tenderness  displayed  by  them.  He  could  hardly  be- 
lieve his  own  senses.  It  seemed  so  unreasonable  that  people 
with  so  many  attractive  traits  should  be  the  most  barbarous 


G08  A   PREMIUM    ON    MURDER. 

of  all  men ;  but  they  did  not  try  to  conceal  their  craving  for 
human  bodies,  and  were  unquestionably  the  most  bloodthirsty 
people  he  had  ever  seen ;  other  men  would  kill  in  war  or  in 
anger,  these  would  kill  for  pleasure.  A  group  may  be  seen  :  one 
steps  forward  and  puts  a  scarlet  feather  on  the  ground,  and 
challenges  those  near  to  stick  it  in  the  hair ;  the  man  who  accepts 
this  challenge  must  kill  a  man,  to  be  entitled  to  wear  the  scarlet 
feather.  There  is  another  custom  which  forbids  any  one  to 
wear  the  skin  of  the  muskcat  unless  he  has  murdered  somebody. 
It  was  very  clear  that  they  would  take  great  pleasure  in  killing 
every  one  of  the  strangers,  if  the  guns  were  not  in  the  way. 
And  it  is  hardly  wonderful  that  such  a  disposition  existed 
toward  the  large  body  of  their  visitors.  Dr.  Livingstone  had 
tried  vainly  to  check  the  cruelties  of  the  traders,  and  various 
reports,  wdiicli  reached  him  from  time  to  time,  convinced  him 
that  some  of  them  were  beginning  to  see  the  M'isdora  of  his  advice. 
The  Manyuema  were  not  long  in  finding  out  that  guns  did  not 
always  kill,  and  with  every  discovery  of  that  sort  their  own 
weapons  rose  in  their  appreciation,  and  they  frequently  ventured 
to  join  battle,  sometimes  with  considerable  loss  to  the  traders. 
This  added  to  the  fact  that  their  murderous  policy  really  failed 
to  procure  for  them  the  coveted  ivory,  it  was  earnestly  hoped 
would  produce  a  change  in  the  conduct  of  the  traders.  This 
was  not  realized,  however,  while  it  was  in  Dr.  Livingstone's 
power  to  profit  by  it. 

Next,  probably,  to  the  people  themselves,  the  most  interesting 
object  which  came  under  the  notice  of  Livingstone  at  this  time 
was  an  animal  resembling  the  gorilla.  These  strange  creatures 
find  their  choice  haunts  in  the  tall  strong  grass,  \vhich  we  have 
mentioned  as  usurping  so  promptly  every  square  foot  of  ground 
reclaimed  from  the  forests.  They  often  go  erect,  with  their 
liands  resting  on  the  head,  as  if  to  steady  them  as  they  walk; 
and  a  more  unattractive  specimen  of  animal  life  cannot  be 
found.  The  doctor  was  firmly  convinced  that  one  of  these  in- 
dividuals would  do  admirably  standing  for  a  i)icture  of  the 
devil.  He  is  described  as  liaving  the  most  disgusting  bestiality 
of  appearance.  Livingstone,  s])caking  of  him,  says  :  "His  light 
yellow  face  shows  off  his  ugly  whiskers  ;  his  forehead,  villanously 
low,  with  high  ears,  is  well  in  the  background   of  the  great 


THE    SOKO.  609 

dog-iuouth ;  the  teeth  arc  slightly  human,  but  the  canines  s,how 
the  beast  by  their  large  developmcut.  The  hands,  or  rather  the 
fingers,  are  like  those  of  the  natives.  The  flesh  of  the  feet  is 
yellow,  and  the  eagerness  with  which  the  Manyuema  devour  it 
leaves  the  impression  that  eating  sokes  was  the  first  stage  by 
which  they  arrived  at  being  cannibals;  they  say  the  flesh  is 
delicious.  The  soko  is  represented  to  be  extremely  knowing, 
successfully  stalking  men  and  women  while  at  their  work,  kid- 
napping children,  and  running  up  trees  with  them — he  seems 
to  be  amused  by  the  sight  of  the  young  native  in  his  arms,  but 
comes  down  when  tempted  by  a  bunch  of  bananas,  and  as  he 
lifts  that,  drops  the  child  :  the  young  soko  in  such  a  case  would 
cling  closely  to  the  armpit  of  the  elder.  One  man  was  cutting 
out  honey  from  a  tree,  and  naked,  when  a  soko  suddenly  ap- 
peared and  caught  him,  then  let  him  go :  another  man  was 
hunting,  and  missed  in  his  attempt  to  stab  a  soko :  it  seized  the 
spear  and  broke  it,  then  grappled  with  the  man,  who  called  to 
his  companions,  "  Soko  lias  caught  me,"  the  soko  bit  off  the 
ends  of  his  fingers  and  escaped  unharmed.  Both  men  are  now 
alive  at  Bambarre, 

"  The  soko  is  so  cunning,  and  has  such  sharp  eyes,  that  no  one 
can  stalk  him  in  front  without  being  seen,  hence,  when  shot,  it 
is  always  in  the  back ;  when  surrounded  by  men  and  nets,  he  is 
generally  speared  in  the  back  too.  Otherwise  he  is  not  a  very 
formidable  beast :  he  is  nothing,  as  compared  in  power  of  dam- 
aging his  assailant,  to  a  leopard  or  lion,  but  is  more  like  a  man 
unarmed,  for  it  does  not  occur  to  him  to  use  his  canine  teeth, 
which  are  long  and  formidable.  Numbers  of  them  come  down 
in  the  forest,  within  a  hundred  yards  of  our  camp,  and  would 
be  unknown  but  for  giving  tongue  like  fox-hounds :  this  is  their 
nearest  approach  to  speech.  A  man  hoeing  was  stalked  by  a 
soko,  and  seized;  he  roared  out,  but  the  soko  giggled  and 
grinned,  and  lefl  him  as  if  he  had  done  it  in  2)lay.  A  child 
caught  up  by  a  soko  is  oflen  abused  by  being  pinched  and 
scratched,  and  let  fall.  One  of  these  animals  is  not  unfre- 
quently  known  to  kill  leopards,  by  seizing  both  paws  and  biting 
them  off  so  as  to  disable  them ;  he  then  goes  up  into  a  tree  and 
groans  over  his  wounds,  and  sometimes  recovers,  while  the 
leopard  dies.     At  other  times  he  pays  for  life  of  the  leopard 


CIO  HABITS    OF   THE   SOKO. 

with  liis  own.  He  finds  a  rougher  customer  in  the  lion;  this 
powerful  animal  is  more  than  a  match  for  even  the  cunning  of 
the  soko,  and  often  not  only  kills  him  but  tears  off  his  limbs 
in  his  fury. 

"  The  sokos  have  some  singular  customs,  and  are  the  objects 
of  singular  superstitions ;  they  collect  together  and  make  a 
drumming  noise — some  say  with  hollow  trees — and  then  burst 
forth  into  loud  yells.  He  seems  not  to  be  particularly  danger- 
ous, and  manifests  no  disposition  to  molest  unarmed  men  or 
women.  If  he  is  W'ounded,  he  is  satisfied  with  simply  biting 
off  the  fingers  of  his  assailant,  and  spitting  them  out;  he  then 
slaps  the  cheeks  of  his  victim,  and  biting  a  few  times  without 
breaking  the  skin ;  he  then  draws  out  the  spear,  and  stuffs 
leaves  into  the  wound  to  staunch  the  blood.  They  eat  no  flesh, 
but  are  very  fond  of  bananas.  The  Manyuema  hold  them  in 
much  respect,  and  say  of  them,  '  Soko  is  a  man,  and  nothing  bad 
in  him;'  they  believe  that  the  dead  who  escape  being  eaten  rise 
as  sokos.  But  notwithstanding  their  respect  for  them,  they 
devour  their  flesh  most  ravenously,  and  account  it  a  great 
luxury.  The  sokos  are  quite  social ;  they  live  in  communities 
of  about  ten,  each  having  his  own  female ;  an  intruder  from 
another  camp  is  beaten  off  with  their  fists  and  loud  yells.  If 
one  tries  to  seize  the  female  of  another,  lie  is  caught  on  the 
ground,  and  all  unite  in  boxing  and  biting  the  offender.  A 
male  often  carries  a  child,  especially  if  they  are  passing  from 
one  patch  of  forest  to  another  over  a  grassy  space ;  he  then  gives 
it  to  the  mother." 

"While  Dr.  Livingstone  was  lying  at  Bambarre,  reports  w^ere 
constantly  coming  of  the  progress  of  the  traders  through  the 
country ;  and  it  was  an  aggravation  of  his  sufferings  to  know 
that  while  he,  by  the  unfaithfulness  of  his  own  servants  and  the 
bad  conduct  of  the  traders,  was  bound  almost  hand  and  foot, 
these  tfaders  were  already  scattered  along  the  banks  of  the  great 
river.  It  seemed  hard  that  they  M-ho  had  at  heart  only  the 
meanest  objects,  and  found  their  deliglit,  more  than  anything 
else,  in  murder  and  plunder,  went  so  freely  where  they  pleased; 
while  he,  longing  to  solve  the  great  problem  of  so  many  centu- 
ries, and  filled  with  love  for  these  poor  degraded  beings,  could 
only  sit  and  wait  as  patiently  as  possible.     He  could  not  bo 


GREATLY   TROUBLED.  613 

satisfied  to  abandon  his  undertaking.  He  felt  confident  that 
he  held  the  key  to  the  great  mystery :  how  could  he  go  back 
before  he  had  unlocked  it?  And  yet  he  knew  very  well  that 
the  longer  he  was  delayed  the  more  difficult  it  would  be  to  ac- 
complish his  object.  He  had  left  Ujiji  elated  with  the  thought 
of  being  beyond  the  range  of  the  miserable  slaves ;  he  had  been 
overtaken  and  passed  by  them,  and  grieved  to  feel  that  science 
and  civilization  must  be  kicked  about  in  their  nobler  mission 
by  such  embodiments  of  meanest  selfishness.  But  it  had  been 
so,  and  will  be  so  until  science  and  civilization  are  championed 
as  they  should  be  by  their  friends ;  until  the  hand  of  power 
sweeps  the  unhappy  continent  of  the  vicious  representatives  of 
the  slave-trade.  As  the  days  and  weeks  passed,  he  found  less 
and  less  satisfaction  in  recording  the  various  bits  of  information 
which  floated  to  him.  He  had  written  to  Dr.  Kirk,  and  received 
no  reply.  Sometimes  he  felt  that  he  would  be  obliged  to  give 
up,  but  it  was  like  giving  up  life ;  he  was  willing  to  lay  his  life 
down,  if  he  could  only  secure  success.  At  last  there  came  news 
of  men  and  means  being  on  the  way  to  him.  He  became  more 
hopeful  then.  His  interest  revived  in  everything ;  the  customs  of 
the  people  were  an  entertainment  again.  With  the  hope  of 
being  soon  on  the  path  again,  he  heard  with  great  pleasure  the 
experience  of  ISloenemokata,  who  had  seen  more  of  the  Africans 
than  most  of  the  Arabs.  It  was  the  testimony  of  this  man, 
"that  if  a  man  would  only  go  with  a  good-natured  civil  tongue, 
he  could  pass  through  the  worst  tribes  unharmed,"  and  the 
]\Ianyueman  need  not  be  an  exception.  He  did  not  need  to  be 
told  this,  but  he  was  glad  to  hear  it  as  the  experience  of  others. 

At  last,  early  in  February,  1871,  his  men  arrived.  It  was 
cheering  to  his  weary  heart  that  there  were  those  anxious  to 
aid  him.  He  now  found  ihat  one  great  difficulty  v/hich  had 
been  in  the  way  of  sending  him  assistance  had  been  the  dread- 
ful ravages  of  cholera  along  the  coast  and  at  Zanzibar.  This 
dreadful  disease  had  followed  the  trading  paths  into  the  interior, 
where  it  became  a  dreadful  scourge  and  swept  away  thousands 
of  people. 

The  hopes  which  had  revived  at  the  coming  of  men  were  sadly 
disappointed  in  those  who  ])resented  themselves.  There  were 
only  ten,  all  of  them  slaves  of  the  Banians,  who  are  subjects  of 


G14  A   GOOD   COXSCIENCE. 

the  British  crown ;  but  thej  carae  Avith  a  lie  In  their  moutlis. 
They  swore  that  they  had  been  instructed  not  to  go  with  the 
doctor,  but  to  compel  him  to  return  to  Zanzibar.  And  but  for 
the  fear  of  pistol-shot  and  the  interference  of  Mohamad  Bogha- 
ril),  they  would  have  succeeded  in  their  nefarious  scheme. 
After  a  great  deal  of  worrying,  the  16th  of  February  saw  this 
singularly  patient  and  persevering  man  again  on  the  road.  The 
villagers,  as  we  have  said,  had  already  observed  the  difference 
between  Dr.  Livingstone  and  the  other  strangers,  and  they  were 
particularly  gratified  and  as  much  astonished  that  he  always 
dealt  so  fairly  with  them,  and  they  were  really  much  more 
obliging  than  he  had  any  hope  of  finding  them.  It  was  the 
same  beautiful  and  luxuriant  country  which  he  had  traversed 
before,  and  the  same  neat,  secluded  villages.  His  heart  was 
very  much  drawn  out  to  the  people.  He  sought  to  do  them 
good ;  there  is  an  accent  of  sadness  about  it,  but  it  breathes  a 
spirit  so  exalted  that  we  feel  like  inserting  a  paragraph  here, 
which  refers  particularly  to  the  feelings  with  which  he  had 
prosecuted  his  work. 

"  In  this  journey,"  he  writes,  "  I  have  endeavored  to  follow 
with  unswerving  fidelity  the  line  of  duty.  My  course  has  been 
an  even  one,  turning  neither  to  the  right  hand  nor  to  the  left, 
though  my  route  has  been  tortuous  enough.  All  the  hardship, 
hunger,  and  toil  were  met  with  the  full  conviction  that  I  was 
right  in  persevering  to  make  a  complete  work  of  the  exploration 
of  the  sources  of  the  Nile.  Mine  has  been  a  calm,  hopeful  en- 
deavor to  do  the  work  that  has  been  given  me  to  do,  whether  I 
succeed  or  whether  I  fail.  The  prospect  of  death  in  pursuing 
what  I  knew  to  be  right  did  not  make  me  veer  to  one  side  or 
the  other.  I  had  a  strong  presentiment  during  the  first  three 
years  that  I  should  never  live  through  the  enterprise,  but  it 
weakened  as  I  came  near  to  the  end  of  the  journey,  and  an  eager 
desire  to  discover  any  evidence  of  the  great  Moses  having  vis- 
ited these  parts  bound  me,  spell-bound  me,  I  may  say,  for  if  I 
could  bring  to  light  anything  to  confirm  the  sacred  oracles,  I 
should  not  grudge  one  whit  all  the  labor  expended.  I  have  to 
go  down  the  Central  Lualaba  or  Webb's  Lake  river,  then  up 
the  Western  or  Young's  I^ake  river  to  Katanga  head-waters, 
and  then  retire.     I  pray  that  it  may  be  to  my  native  land." 


A   YOUNG   SOKO.  615 

As  he  extended  his  acquaintance  with  the  Manyucma,  he  felt 
more  and  more  that  their  great  want  was  national  life.  The 
isolation  of  their  little  village  communities  was  an  unmitigated 
evil.  The  Arabs  whom  he  met  as  he  journeyed  all  seemed 
anxious  to  appear  kind,  and  added  to  his  store  such  little  com- 
forts as  they  had.  Out  of  the  supplies  which  he  had  received, 
Livingstone  carefully  refunded  all  that  he  had  received  from 
them  during  the  days  of  his  dependence.  Katomba  presented 
him  with  a  young  soko,  which  had  been  caught  when  its  mother 
was  killed.  The  account  the  doctor  gives  of  this  little  creature, 
written  while  she  was  in  their  company,  is  exceedingly  interest- 
ing.   He  says : 

"  She  sits  eighteen  inches  high,  has  fine  long  black  hair  all 
over,  which  was  pretty  so  long  as  it  was  kept  in  order  by  her 
dam.  She  is  the  least  mischievous  of  all  the  monkey  tribe  I 
have  seen,  and  seems  to  know  that  in  me  she  has  a  friend,  and 
sits  quietly  on  the  mat  beside  me.  In  walking,  the  first  thing 
observed  is  that  she  does  not  tread  on  the  palms  of  her  hands, 
but  on  the  backs  of  the  second  line  of  bones  of  the  hands :  in 
doing  this  the  nails  do  not  touch  the  ground,  nor  do  the 
knuckles ;  she  uses  the  arms  thus  supported  crutch-fashion,  and 
hitches  herself  along  between  them ;  occasionally  one  hand  is 
put  down  before  the  other,  and  alternates  with  the  feet,  or  she 
walks  upright  and  holds  up  a  hand  to  any  one  to  carry  her.  If 
refused,  she  turns  her  face  down,  and  makes  grimaces  of  the 
most  bitter  human  weeping,  wringing  her  hands,  and  sometimes 
adding  a  fourth  hand  or  foot  to  make  the  appeal  more  touching. 
Grass  or  leaves  she  draws  around  her  to  make  a  nest,  and  re- 
sents any  one  meddling  with  her  property.  She  is  a  most 
friendly  little  beast,  and  came  up  to  me  at  once,  making  her 
chirrup  of  welcome,  smelling  my  clothes  and  holding  out  her 
hand  to  be  shaken.  When  she  was  bound,  she  began  to  untie 
the  cord  with  fingers  and  thumbs  in  quite  a  systematic  way,  and 
on  being  interfered  with  by  a  man,  looked  daggers,  and  scream- 
ing tried  to  beat  him  with  her  hands.  She  was  afraid  of  his 
stick  and  faced  him,  putting  her  back  to  me  as  a  friend.  She 
holds  out  her  hand  for  people  to  take  her  up  and  carry  her, 
quite  like  a  spoiled  child ;  then  bursts  into  a  passionate  cry, 
somewhat  like  that  of  a  kite,  and  wrings  her  hands  quite  natu- 


61 G  A   VILLAGE  SCEXE. 

rally,  as  if  in  despair.  She  eats  everything,  covers  herself  with  a 
mat  to  sleep,  and  wipes  her  flice  with  a  leaf,  as  naturally  as  one 
of  us  can  with  a  handkerchief." 

He  left  Mamohela  on  the  1st  of  ]\Iarch,  his  party  swelled 
somewhat  by  the  addition  of  seven  of  the  Arab's  people  going 
on  to  buy  ivory.  He  was  on  new  territory :  his  former  trips 
had  not  extended  farther  west  than  Mamohela ;  now  he  was 
destined  to  reach  the  Lualaba.  They  advanced  between 
ranges  of  mountains,  crossing  innumerable  rivulets.  The  peo- 
ple were  generally  kind,  and  felt  themselves  fully  remunerated 
by  a  few  strings  of  beads,  which  Livingstone  always  gave  as  an 
acknowledgment,  although  nothing  was  asked.  Many  of  the 
villages  which  he  passed  were  unusually  pretty,  standing  on 
slopes,  the  neat  huts  facing  the  bright  sunny  street.  In  front 
of  the  doors  little  verandahs  were  often  made,  and  here  at 
dawn  the  family  gathers  round  a  fire,  and,  while  enjoying  the 
heat  needed  in  the  cold  tlfat  always  accompanies  the  first  dart- 
ing of  the  light  or  sun's  rays  across  the  atmosphere,  inhale  the 
delicious  air,  and  talk  over  their  little  domestic  affairs.  The 
various  shaped  leaves  of  the  forest  all  around  their  village  and 
near  their  nestlings  are  bespangled  with  myriads  of  dewdrops. 
The  cocks  crow  vigorously,  and  strut  and  ogle ;  the  kids  gambol 
and  leap  on  the  backs  of  their  dams  quietly  chewing  the  cud ; 
other  goats  make  believe  fighting.  Thrifty  wives  often  bake 
their  new  clay  pots  in  a  fire,  made  by  lighting  a  heap  of  grass 
roots :  the  next  morning  they  extract  salt  from  the  ashes,  and 
so  two  birds  are  killed  with  one  stone.  The  beauty  of  this 
morning  scene  of  peaceful  enjoyment  is  indescribable.  Infancy 
gikls  the  fairy  picture  with  its  own  lines,  and  it  is  probably 
never  forgotten,  for  the  young,  taken  up  from  slavers,  and 
treated  with  all  philanthropic  missionary  caire  and  kindness, 
still  revert  to  the  period  of  infancy  as  the  finest  and  fairest  they 
have  known.  They  would  go  back  to  freedom  and  enjoyment 
as  fast  as  would  our  own  sons  of  the  soil,  and  be  heedless  to  the 
charms  of  hard  work  and  no  i)lay,  which  our  benevolence  so 
readily  recognizes  as  best  for  them.  The  terror  of  the  Arabs 
had  reached  some  of  these  villages,  and  the  people  fled  when 
they  heard  that  strangers  were  approaching,  supposing  it  to  be 
an  Arab  party.     The  farther  he  ^^■ent  the  more  horrible  stories 


THE   BANKS   OF   THE   LUALxVRA.  G17 

of  blood  met  him.  Hassani  was  waging  most  malicious  war 
everywhere  he  went;  he  declared  that  he  did  not  begin  hostili- 
ties, but  falsehood  seems  to  be  the  peculiar  accomplishment  of 
the  whole  race.  But  there  was  trouble  also  in  his  own  little 
camp.  His  Banian  slaves  were  bad  enough  alone,  but  they  were 
worse  after  associating  with  the  Arab  slaves  who  had  joined  the 
party.  Their  rebellion  began  to  show  itself:  they  became  very 
insubordinate,  and  began  their  efforts  of  compulsion,  which  they 
would  not  hesitate  to  accomplish  by  any  possible  agency. 

Thus  surrounded  by  difficulties,  Livingstone  reached  Ny- 
angwe,  on  the  banks  of  the  Lualaba,  the  30th  of  March,  1871, 
and  found  it  a  mighty  river,  full  three  thousand  yards  broad, 
and  always  deep,  and  embracing  many  large  islands.  Its  deep 
banks  were  also  very  steep.  He  had  reached  the  river :  we  will 
see  now  whether  he  realized  the  hopes  which  had  sustained 
him  in  all  his  \vearying  journeys. 


NECKLACE   MADk'uF  HUMAN  FINGER  BONES. 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

FOUR   MONTHS   AT   NYANGWE. 

The  Lualaba — Abed  and  Hassani — The  Temper  of  the  Traders — Livingstone's 
Situation — The  Difficulty — Writing  Materials — Nyangwe  Market-Women — 
Old  and  Young — The  Market  Scenes — Eagerness  for  Barter — Indei^endenee  of 
Women — Ten  Human  Skulls — Cannibalism — Difficulty  of  getting  a  Canoe- 
Ivory — The  Bakuss — A  Characteristic  Manoeuvre — Bakuss'  Opinion  of  Guns 
— Arabs'  Idea  of  Business — A  Fiendish  Plot — Dugumbe — No  Assistance — 
Wonderful  Underground  Houses — The  People  of  Eua — "  Ileartbrokenness  " — 
Disappointed  Utterly  —  Beautiful  Picture  Blighted  —  Dreadful  Slaughter — 
Three  Hundred  and  Forty  Dead — Superwickedness — Too  Much  to  Bear — PtC- 
solved  to  Return — Importuned  by  the  Natives — Determined — Providence  in 
the  Disappointment — Providence  in  all  Things  —  Precious  Interests — A 
Despatch — James  Gordon  Bennett,  Jr. — Henry  M.  Stanley. 

The  great  river  which  he  had  sought  so  long  and  so  reso- 
lutely was  rolling  at  his  feet.  It  was  a  noble  river,  worthy  of 
being  thought  of  as  the  near  relative  of  any  water  on  earth. 
The  sight  of  it  had  cost  great  sacrifice  and  suffering.  Dr. 
Livingstone  stood  willing  to  venture  far  more  than  he  had  en- 
dured in  finding  out  the  secrets  it  might  be  able  to  disclose. 
But  there  were  before  him  on  those  steep  banks  men  v/ho  had 
no  sympathy  with  Iiis  enterprise,  who  could  see  in  him  only  the 
representative  of  a  nation  whose  unrelenting  frown  rested  on 
their  barbarities ;  and  at  the  hands  of  these  men  he  could  hope 
for  little  that  might  in  any  way  facilitate  his  work.  At  their 
hands,  in  fact,  we  shall  see  that  he  met  the  resistance  which  at 
last  compelled  him  to  go  away  from  the  river,  to  him  so  full  of 
promise,  to  relinquish  what  to  him  seemed  like  positive  success, 
when  a  few  more  vigorous  strokes  might  have  brought  to  him 
its  sweet  realization. 

The  Arab  traders  Avho  were  found  established  at  Nyangwe 
on  Dr.  Livingstone's  arrival.  Abed  and  Hassani,  were  men 
notorious  for  their  barbarities.  They  were  associated  with 
Dugumbe,  who  was  himself  absent.  Notwithstanding  profes- 
sions of  friendly  feeling  and  promises  of  cooj)cration,  it  was  soon 
618 


TEMPER   OF  THE   TRADERS.  619 

very  evident  that  these  men  were  determined  to  compel  the 
Englishman  to  go  out  of  the  country.  They  did  not  dare  to 
attempt  this  by  any  violent  measures,  but  they  could  poison  the. 
minds  of  the  natives  against  him,  could  misrepresent  him,  could 
tamper  with  his  Banian  slave  followers,  could  prevent  his 
getting  a  canoe,  could  surround  him  with  such  scenes  of  cruelty 
as  would  sicken  his  soul.  All  of  these  things  they  could  do, 
all  of  them  they  did.  It  Is  not  ungenerous  to  say  that  they  did 
them  all  deliberately,  designedly,  because  they  did  not  want  the 
restraint  of  an  Englishman's  presence  in  their  horrid  business. 
They  were  generous  with  their  gifts,  because  they  wanted  to  be 
thought  kind.  They  knew  what  to  give  and  what  to  withhold  ; 
they  would  give  something  to  make  a  good  impression,  they 
would  be  unable  to  do  other  things,  and  see  to  it  underhandcdly 
that  they  were  done  by  nobody,  that  they  might  be  rid  of  the 
man.  They  had  numbers  and  goods,  and  they  would  by  all 
means  possible  get  the  confidence  or  excite  the  fears  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  they  could  turn  either  the  confidence  or  the  fear  to  the 
same  account.  They  were  determined  that  Dr.  Livingstone 
should  get  no  canoe,  M'hlle  they  promised  to  get  him  one  almost 
every  day,  managing  thus  to  hold  their  victim  in  agonizing 
alternations  of  hope  and  despondency  nearly  four  months.  We 
need  not  ask  now,  surely,  why  Livingstone  was  so  dependent : 
we  know  that  he  had  only  three  mm  on  whom  he  could  depend ; 
he  had  some  means,  but  money  could  do  nothing  unless  he  could 
procure  men.  Four  men  could  not  start  alone  through  such  a 
country  under  such  circumstances.  He  had  been  able  some- 
times to  get  escorts  from  traders,  and  he  trusted  that  he  would 
succeed.  He  could  have  gone  on  If  no  Arabs  had  been  In  the 
country.  Then,  with  the  support  of  SusI  and  Chuma,  he  could 
have  controlled  his  ten  Banian  men,  but  he  could  do  nothing 
with  them  while  Hassani  was  at  hand  with  his  hordes,  offering 
them  protection  in  all  their  unfaithfulness,  and  offering  a  pre- 
mium for  their  desertion.  We  will  not  detain  the  reader  with 
the  promises  and  disappointments  which  were  the  matters  of 
really  most  consequence  to  Dr.  Livingstone  every  day,  ])ut  take 
advantage  of  the  Information  which  was  treasured  for  us  during 
these  months  by  the  traveller. 

It  was  not  the  smallest  of  the  deprivations,  we  may  remark, 


G20  XYAXGWE   ]\rAEKET. 

which  Dr.  Livingstone  had  now  to  contend  with,  that  his  paper 
and  ink  were  both  exliausted.  The  world  owes  him  a  debt  of 
gratitude  that  he  did  not  allow  this  to  hinder  him  in  the  record 
which  he  had  so  conscientiously  made  of  what  he  saw  and  did. 
An  engraving  faithfully  representing  a  portion  of  his  journal 
written  under  these  disadvantages  will  convey  a  better  idea  of 
the  shifts  by  which  he  mastered  them  than  any  words  of  ours. 
An  old  newspaper,  made  into  the  shape  of  a  copy  book,  and  ink 
made  from  the  juice  of  some  native  berries,  were  his  substitutes 
for  nicer  materials.  With  tlicse  he  preserved  for  us  the  scenes 
and  incidents  of  many  months. 

Probably  the  most  interesting  feature  of  the  village  of  Xy- 
angwe  was  its  market.  The  market  is  a  great  institution  in 
Manyuema.  At  Nyangwe  the  market  was  held  every  fourth 
day.  The  vendors  of  the  various  commodities  Avere  chiefly 
women,  and  such  women  as  did  full  credit  to  the  market-women 
of  the  world.  The  great  numbers  assembled  inspire  all  with 
confidence,  and  they  stand  firmly  by  the  rules  of  justice.  This 
assembly  is  the  principal  pleasure  of  all  classes ;  all  love  to 
trade  in  the  market ;  if  a  man  proposes  to  buy  a  chicken,  the 
owner  tells  him  "  Come  to  the  market."  There  were  all  sorts  of 
articles  to  be  had  :  cloth,  fowls,  fish,  earthen  vessels,  cassava,  palm 
oil,  salt,  pepper,  anything  to  be  had  in  the  country  was  to  be 
had  there.  And  the  business  was  carried  on  with  the  sprightly 
energy  which  always  attends  a  crowd  and  competition.  The 
women  seemed  to  be  fully  in  their  element :  they  would  haggle 
and  joke  with  equal  readiness.  IMany  of  them  were  old  and 
careworn,  others  young  and  beautiful — it  is  so  in  all  markets  ; 
the  old  were  thoughtful  and  anxious-looking,  the  young  were 
thoughtless  and  sportive — it  is  so  with  old  and  young  people 
elsewhere ;  the  old  women  carried  a  weight  of  memories,  the 
young  women  were  carried  by  hope  toward  a  future  of  promise — 
it  is  always  so  with  age  and  youth.  But  old  and  young  nnder- 
f^ood  their  business.  A  few  men  are  mingled  with  these  busy 
mothers  and  wives,  selling  their  iron-ware,  grass  cloth  and  pigs. 
When  the  market  is  fairly  opened  it  is  a  busy  scene,  and  the 
description  which  Dr.  Livingstone  gives  of  it  is  too  good  to  be 
lost :  "  Every  one  is  there  in  dead  earnest ;  little  time  is  lost  in 
I'riendly  greetings.     Vendors  of  fish  run  about  with  little  pot- 


ssMaaAi  'aavaMvxs  anx 


H  Colt  orXuJl&r.j-*^. 

PAUK.  5*    r  i^^) 

ELAWAUE.         tJ        ^  '  r 

__      _>S(s) 

MINGTOX  MEETIXO-^n-ESDAr, 

ndeJ  btforo  the  rnet-s  commepceil 

ng  had  b'/en  bright  with  i«n  ooo»- 

,  .     The  Warwick  pajilurcF.  where 

"  sticky  "  and  hej^vy  going,  but 


v 


Svjcll. 
rt-a*. 
);ittef;-jifter  g"»g 

ht^|Re>i&J«rs  opjjt 
k''*pnratcil  tbo  i 

jtWr.     iialf  »  luilc. 
r.  J.  liVood's  Xorthcru  Star,  by 

India.  4  yr?,  Tst  Tib  

Mr.  Hejid's  lionnie  Kntic,  3  jr*, 
Mr.  Steven's  Chateau  Maryaux,  4 


away — Star  of 

"Wilson 

t  10  lb Wyatt 

:rF,  7st J.  dark 


Mr.  W.  Iloim&xi's  Last  Rose  of  Summer,  4  yrs^  7st  3Ib 

Holland 
's  Plenipotentiary,  3  yrs,  7st  A'inell 


PORTION    OF    LIVINGSTONES    JOURNAL 


WHEN     WRITING     PAPER    8,    INK      HAD    FAILED. 


MAEKET  SCENES.  623 

sherds  full  of  snails  or  small  fishes,  or  young  clarias  capensis—r 
smoke-dried,  and  spitted  on  twigs — or  other  relishes,  to  exchange 
for  cassava  roots,  dried  after  being  steeped  about  three  days  in 
water ;  potatoes,  vegetables,  or  grain,  bananas,  flour,  palm  oil, 
fowls,  salt,  pepper,  all  are  bartered  back  and  forth  in  the  same 
manner.  Each  individually  is  intensely  anxious  to  trade;  those 
who  have  other  articles  are  particularly  eager  to  barter  them  for 
relishes,  and  are  positive  in  their  assertions  of  the  goodness  or 
badness  of  each  article  as  market  people  seem  to  be  in  conscience 
bound  to  do  everywhere.  The  sweat  may  be  seen  standing  in 
great  beads  on  their  faces.  Cocks,  hanging  with  their  heads 
down  across  the  shoulders,  contribute  their  bravest  crowing,  and 
pigs  squeal  their  loudest.  Ii-on  knobs,  drawn  out  at  each  end 
to  show  the  goodness  of  the  metal,  are  exchanged  for  cloth  of 
the  Muabe  palm.  They  have  a  large  funnel  of  basket-work 
below  the  vessel  holding  the  wares,  and  slip  the  goods  down  if 
they  are  not  to  be  seen.  They  deal  fairly,  and  when  differences 
arose  they  were  easily  settled  by  the  men  interfering  or  pointing 
to  me :  they  appeal  to  each  other,  and  have  a  strong  sense  of 
natural  justice.  With  so  much  food  changing  hands  amongst 
the  three  thousand  attendants  much  benefit  is  derived;  some 
come  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  miles.  The  men  flaunt  about 
in  gaudy-colored  larabas  of  many  folded  kilts — the  women 
work  hardest — the  potters  slap  and  ring  their  earthenware  all 
around,  to  show  that  there  is  not  a  single  flaw  in  them.  I 
bought  two  finely  shaped  earthen  bottles  of  porous  earthenware, 
to  hold  a  gallon  each,  for  one  string  of  beads ;  the  women  carry 
huge  loads  of  them  in  their  funnels  above  the  baskets,  strapped 
to  the  shoulders  and  forehead,  and  their  hands  are  full  besides; 
the  roundness  of  the  vessels  is  wonderful,  seeing  no  machine  is 
used  :  no  slaves  could  be  induced  to  carry  half  as  much  as  they 
do  willingly.  It  is  a  scene  of  the  finest  natural  acting  imagin- 
able. The  eagerness  with  which  all  sorts  of  assertions  are  made 
— the  eager  earnestness  with  which  apparently  all  creation, 
above,  around,  and  beneath,  is  called  on  to  attest  the  truth  of 
what  they  allege — and  then  the  intense  siu'prise  and  withering 
scorn  Ciist  on  those  who  despise  their  goods :  but  they  show  no 
concern  when  the  buyers  turn  up  their  noses  at  them.  Little 
girls  run  about  selling  cups  of  water  for  a  few  small  fishes  to 


624  "ten  human  jawbones." 

the  half-exhausted  wordy  combatants.  To  me  it  was  an  amus- 
ing scene.  I  could  not  understand  the  words  that  flowed  oif 
their  glib  tongues,  but  the  gestures  were  too  expressive  to  need 
interpretation."  One  man,  a  stranger  in  the  market,  was 
noticed,  who  had  ten  human  jawbones  hung  by  a  string  over 
his  shoulder,  and  he  seemed  almost  boastful  of  having  killed 
and  eaten  the  original  owners  of  them,  and  exhibited  with  his 
knife  his  method  of  dissecting  men  with  a  painful  coolness,  and 
only  laughed  with  the  rest  when  Dr.  Livingstone  expressed  his 
disgust. 

Sometimes  parties  belonging  to  Dugumbe's  horde  tried  to  deal 
in  the  market  in  a  lordly  way,  as  inferior  men  are  wont  to  do 
when  they  imagine  themselves  surrounded  by  weaker  ones. 
But  there  can  hardly  be  found  a  class  of  people  on  earth  who 
are  readier  to  assert  their  rights  against  domineering  assumptions 
than  those  very  modest  individuals  who  rejoice  in  being  known 
as  market  women.  When  those  impertinent  fellows  came  about 
with  their  "  I  will  buy  that,"  and  "  These  are  mine,  nobody 
must  touch  that  but  me,"  and  the  like,  the  women  quickly 
taught  them  that  they  could  monopolize  nothing,  but  deal  fairly 
like  other  people. 

The  doctor  had  ample  opportunity  to  observe  the  people  of 
the  district,  and  the  more  he  saw  of  them  the  more  he  was  per- 
plexed by  the  strange  contradictions  their  characters  revealed. 
Cannibals  they  certainly  were,  thinking  no  more  of  the  life  of 
a  man  than  the  blossom  of  a  flower ;  as  ready  to  kill  a  man  as  to 
kill  a  pig;  yet  honest,  fine-looking,  sometimes  really  beautiful! 

Every  day  their  country  was  becoming  more  and  more  the 
scene  of  confusion  and  bloodshed.  Villages  were  being  burned 
and  people  massacred  continually.  They  seemed  to  distinguish 
him  from  the  Arabs  and  their  underlings,  but  he  knew  that 
there  could  be  no  reliance  placed  in  them,  for  contrasting  with 
their  honesty  in  dealing  was  absolute  lui  truth  fulness  in  other 
matters.  They  had  no  conscience  against  framing  any  sort  of 
lie  by  which  they  might  get  the  pleasure  of  spilling  blood. 

As  time  passed,  the  hopes  of  getting  a  canoe  or  men  were  no 
nearer  realization.  The  traders  themselves,  seizing  on  his  idea, 
had  fallen  on  the  plan  of  proceeding  in  canoes.  Reports  cjime 
of  immense  quantities  of  ivory  in  possession   of   the   Babisa, 


"a  trick  of  the  trade."  625 

living  farther  clown  the  river.  Katomba's  people  had  been 
there  and  were  returning  with  immense  quantities.  They  re- 
ported that  the  wliole  country  was  full  of  it ;  the  door-posts 
and  house  pillars  were  made  of  it.  They  had  found  the  people 
peaceable,  and  had  gone  in  and  come  away  without  a  single  dis- 
turbance. They  had  traded  copper  rings  for  the  ivory,  two 
rings  for  a  tusk,  which  they  had  found  the  most  acceptable 
currency  there  as  among  the  Manyuema.  This  country  was 
bordering  on  the  several  great  rivers  which  flowed  into  the 
Lualaba  from  the  west.  Hearing  these  wonderful  reports  only 
wdietted  the  eagerness  of  Hassani  and  Abed.  They  picked  up 
all  the  canoes  to  be  had  for  themselves ;  partly  by  becoming 
blood-relations  with  the  natives,  by  the  blood-letting  ceremony ; 
partly  by  helping  them  to  kill  each  other,  partly  by  intimidat- 
ing them,  and  partly  by  turning  their  prejudice  against  the 
white  man,  who  was  represented  as  wanting  no  ivory  or  slaves, 
but  only  canoes  that  he  might  kill  Manyuema.  Livingstone 
was  obliged  to  stand  quietly  and  see  canoe  after  canoe  go  off 
down  the  noble  river  which  he  was  so  anxious  to  explore. 
Once  he  was  confident  that  his  desire  Avas  realized;  he  felt  as  if 
he  had  the  precious  canoe.  Abed  seemed  to  become  possessed 
of  a  more  generous  spirit,  and  although  he  was  anxious  to  be 
off  to  the  ivory  land  would  not  go  until  he  thought  he  had 
sealed  a  bargain  for  a  canoe  for  the  doctor.  But  he  was  a  little 
too  eager,  and  a  Manyuema  man,  who  it  turned  out  had  an  old 
grudge  against  another  head  man  which  he  wanted  to  avenge, 
came  over  the  river  and  said  that  he  had  one  hollowed  out,  and 
he  wanted  goats  and  beads  to  hire  people  to  drag  it  down  to 
the  water.  Abed  advanced  five  goats,  a  thousand  cowries,  and 
many  beads.  But  it  turned  out  that  the  man  had  no  canoe,  but 
was  only  seeking  to  draw  the  traders  into  a  difficulty  with  his 
enemy  and  so  get  his  revenge,  for  he  knew  that  a  difficulty  oc- 
curring, the  man's  village  would  be  burned  and  many  of  his 
people  killed  by  the  Arabs.  His  plan  for  bringing  about  this 
was  to  have  Abed  and  the  doctor  send  men  to  see  the  canoe, 
who  would  of  course  carry  their  guns.  The  canoe  being  the 
property  of  the  other,  while  they  would  know  that  Abed  had 
paid  for  it,  he  was  shrewd  enough  to  see  that  there  would  be 
very  probably  a  fight  before  the  parties  separated,  and  however 
32 


626  IVORY   HUNTING. 

it  turned  oat  he  would  have  his  revenge.  This  sort  of  thing 
was  one  of  the  gravest  difficulties  which  was  to  be  contended 
with  in  Manyuema.  Abed  was  gone  when  this  trick  was  found 
out,  and  Livingstone  declined  to  be  led  into  the  trap. 

AVhile  the  doctor  was  yet  waiting,  some  of  Abed's  people 
returned  laden  with  tusks  which  they  had  purchased.  The 
traders,  although  they  were  unwilling  to  confess  it,  were  coming 
to  see  that  the  counsel  of  Livingstone  was  wiser  than  they  had 
thought.  They  had  sacrificed  all  the  prospects  which  were  pre- 
sented by  the  Manyuema  country  by  their  desperate  policy  ;  they 
had  closed  district  after  district  against  themselves,  and  they 
had  begun  to  see  that  even  African  savages  could  be  influenced 
more  easily  by  justice  and  humanity  than  by  plunder  and  murder. 
How  blessed  a  thing  for  Africa  it  would  have  been  if  the  lesson 
had  been  learned  more  thoroughly  and  generally  !  How  blessed 
a  thing,  if  they  had  been  good  enough  to  sacrifice  their  passions 
to  their  interest !  The  returning  parties  had  much  to  say  about 
a  country  called  Kuss,  which  lay  at  the  confluence  of  the 
Lomame  which  joins  the  Lualaba,  probably  a  hundred  miles 
below  Nyangwe.  The  Bakuss  are  Manyuema,  but  were  distin- 
guished by  some  peculiarities  from  their  more  southern  country- 
men. It  Avas  reported  that  the  Bakuss  were  civil  to  strangers, 
but  that  they  had  refused  a  passage  into  the  country.  In  order 
to  impress  them  with  their  power,  the  effect  of  a  musket  shot  on 
a  goat  was  shown  them.  They  looked  on  with  amazement, 
thought  it  supernatural,  looked  up  at  the  clouds,  and  offered  to 
bring  ivory  to  buy  the  charm  that  could  draw  lightning  down. 
When  it  was  afterwards  attempted  to  force  a  path,  they  darted 
aside  on  seeing  the  Wanyamwezi's  followers  putting  the  arrows 
into  the  bowstrings,  but  stood  in  rrfute  amazement  looking  at 
the  guns,  which  mowed  them  down  in  large  numbers.  They 
thought  that  muskets  were  the  insignia  of  chieftainship.  Their 
chiefs  all  go  with  a  long  straight  staff  of  rattan,  having  a  quantity 
of  black  medicine  smeared  on  each  end,  and  no  weapons  in 
their  hands.  They  imagined  that  the  guns  were  carried  as 
insignia  of  the  same  kind ;  some,  jeering,  called  them  big 
tobacco-pipes,  and  seemed  to  have  no  fear  on  seeing  a  gun 
•levelled  at  them. 

They  used  large  and  very  long  spears  very  expertly  in  the 


A   THRIVING   BUSINESS.  G27 

long  grass  and  forest  of  their  country,  and  were  terrible  fellows 
among  themselves,  and  when  they  become  acquainted  with  fire- 
arms will  be  terrible  to  the  strangers  who  now  murder  them. 
The  Bakuss  cultivate  more  than  the  southern  Manyuema,  espe- 
cially pcnnisetum  and  dura,  or  holcu.<i  sorghum  ;  common  coffee 
is  abundant  in  their  district,  and  they  use  it  highly  scented  with 
vanilla,  which  must  be  fertilized  by  insects.  This  beverage  is 
usually  handed  round  in  cups  after  meals.  Among  their  other 
luxuries,  pineapples  were  quite  abundant.  Their  country  was 
much  more  open  than  the  more  southern  districts,  and  was  found 
literally  swarming  with  people.  There,  too,  the  market  was  the 
great  institution.  In  some  things  they  might  be  an  example  to 
their  neighbors ;  in  their  personal  cleanliness,  for  instance,  which 
is  made  obligatory  by  a  law  requiring  them  to  bathe  regularly 
twice  everyday ;  and  there  is  another  custom  by  which  all  illicit 
intercourse  is  severely  punished.  The  offender  in  this  must  see 
his  whole  family  sold  into  slavery.  The  women,  who  form  there, 
as  everywhere,  an  indispensable  element  of  social  life,  are  dis- 
tinguished by  rather  small  compressed  heads,  but  their  pleasant 
countenances  and  their  bright  wide-awake  eyes  are  evidences 
enough  of  their  intelligence. 

But,  more  than  all  to  the  Arabs  and  their  avaricious  hordes, 
the  land  was  full  of  people  and  ivory,  and  let  the  people  be 
friendly  or  unfriendly,  good  or  bad,  beautiful  or  ugly,  it  was  all 
one  to  them:  there  was  a  chance  for  slaves  and  ivory ;  slaves  and 
ivory  meant  a  thriving  business.  As  for  Dr.  Livingstone,  he 
saw  no  hope  of  getting  on  ;  he  was  clearly  considered  in  the  way 
by  the  traders,  and  his  ten  Banian  men  were  certainly  not  to  be 
trusted.  Abed  overheard  them  one  day  plotting  for  his  destruc- 
tion. The  horrible  plan  which  they  arranged  was,  if  compelled 
to  go  on,  to  watch  their  chance,  and  the  first  difficulty  which 
arose  with  the  Manyuema  they  would  fire  off  their  guns  and  run 
away,  and  as  the  doctor  was  weak  and  could  not  run  as  fast  as 
they  he  would  be  left  to  perish.  The  tones  in  which  this  fiendish 
plot  came  to  the  ears  of  Abed  convinced  him  that  for  Dr.  Living- 
stone to  go  with  them  would  be  certain  death  at  the  hands  of 
the  cannibals.  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  Abed  in  common 
with  Hassani  and  others  had  been  by  their  policy  a  great  hin- 
drance to  him,  Dr.  Livingstone  had  no  doubt  that  in  a  matter 


628  THE  "kua"  houses. 

of  this  sort  he  was  a  sincere  friend,  and  could  not  doubt  his 
statement  or  the  wisdom  of  his  caution. 

Thus  worried  beyond  measure  by  these  slaves,  and  baffled 
utterly  in  his  work,  the  doctor,  sick  at  heart  and  in  body,  had 
only  one  hope  left.  Dugumbe,  who  had  not  yet  arrived,  was  ex- 
pected daily ;  he  was  bringing  his  whole  family,  and  proposed 
fixing  his  head-quarters  in  the  country  and  establishing  a  mart 
and  lines  of  carriers  between  his  district  and  Ujiji.  The  single 
hope  was  that  this  man,  who  was  highest  in  authority  among 
the  traders  of  the  section,  might  assist  him. 

He  at  length  arrived,  and  Dr.  Livingstone  offered  him  $2000 
for  ten  men  to  replace  the  Banian  slaves,  and  added  to  this  offer 
the  proposition  to  give  him  all  the  goods  he  had  at  Ujiji  be- 
sides. Dugumbe  said  that  he  would  consult  his  associates  and 
decide  what  could  be  done.  Besides  going  down  to  Lomame  the 
doctor  was  very  anxious  to  explore  Rua,  the  great  district  ad- 
joining Manyuema  on  the  other  side  of  the  Lualaba.  This 
great  district  was  distinguished  particularly  by  a  wonderful 
system  of  underground  dwellings,  resembling  immense  caves, 
which  had  existed  from  remote  ages.  Nothing  in  all  Africa 
surpasses  in  magnitude  and  marvellous  structure  these  wonderful 
dwellings.  Many  of  them  were  reported  to  be  so  large  that  en- 
tire tribes  could  take  refuge  in  them.  The  people  all  spoke  of 
them  as  having  been  built  by  God  and  not  by  man.  These  vast 
subterranean  structures  were  said  to  be  entered  generally  by 
small  unpretending  openings,  but  to  spread  out  suddenly  into 
enormous  halls  and  corridors,  wonderfully  arranged  and  many 
miles  in  extent;  some  were  said  to  possess  different  entrances, 
forty  or  fifty  and  sometimes  even  a  greater  number  of  miles  apart. 
The  dwellers  in  these  caverns  were  a  warlike  race,  but,  like  all 
the  inner  tribes  of  Africa,  provided  only  with  their  bows  and 
spears,  were  easy  victims  of  those  bloody  hordes  which  came  on 
them  armed  with  guns.  They  were  a  bright,  intelligent  people, 
and  the  slaves  had  sought  many  pretexts  for  quarrels  with  them 
•that  they  might  have  excuse  for  making  war,  which  always 
means  with  the  Arabs  making  as  many  slaves  as  possible. 

Dr.  Livingstone  had  seen  many  of  the  unfortunate  victims  of 
these  cruel  invasions  in  the  great  slave-gangs  at  different  times 
during  his  later  travels,  and  among  all  those  whose  wrongs  had 


BROKEN-HEARTEDNESS.  629 

called  forth  his  sympathies  none  had  awakened  a  deeper  interest. 
They  are  a  bold,  free  and  freedom-loving  race,  rude  and  wild, 
but  lovers  of  their  homes,  and  of  natures  keenly  sensitive  to  the 
degradation  of  the  galling  yoke  of  bondage.  Among  them  he 
had  seen  first  the  disease,  strangest  and  saddest  of  all,  which 
affected  him  more  deeply  than  any  of  the  various  forms  of  suffer- 
ing M'hich  he  had  seen  in  all  his  wanderings.  This  disease  was 
broken-hearted n ess.  He  saw  it  first  after  the  brother  of  Syde 
bin  Habib  was  killed  in  Rua,  and  Syde  vowing  vengeance  had 
entered  the  country  waging  dreadful  war.  A  large  number  of 
captives  were  taken  and  brought  away  in  chains ;  many  of  the 
poor  creatures  died  in  a  few  days  after  passing  the  boundary  of 
their  own  country.  They  exhibited  no  signs  of  illness,  but  only 
deep  sadness,  and  would  place  their  hands  over  their  hearts, 
saying,  "All  the  pain  is  here,"  and  sink  down  by  the  w^ay  and 
expire.  The  children  would  for  a  time  keep  np  M'ith  wonderful 
endurance,  but  when  it  happened  that  the  sound  of  dancing  and 
the  merry  tinkle  of  the  small  drums  fell  on  their  ears  in  passing 
the  villages,  memories  of  home  would  rush  on  them,  and  then 
they  would  cry  and  sob  until  the  "  broken-heart "  came  and  they 
too  sank  rapidly.  The  heart  of  the  man  so  long  accustomed  to 
enter  into  the  sorrows  of  the  degraded,  and  to  search  for  every 
noble  quality  which  they  might  possess,  could  not  but  feel  an 
uncommon  interest  in  the  Ba  E,ua ;  and  the  explorer  of  the 
wonderful  continent, -^o  whom  the  world  was  looking  for  the 
fullest  information  about  all  of  its  mysteries,  was  naturally 
anxious  to  see  for  himself  those  wonderful  abodes,  which  seemed 
to  tell  of  an  age  of  power  surpassing  all  in  the  records  of  the 
world,  and  of  an  ancient  race  who  must  have  rivalled  the  fabled 
giants  in  greatness. 

But  nothing  came  of  Dugumbe's  conference  with  his  friends, 
and  the  man  who  had  braved  so  much  and  staked  all  he  possessed 
on  this  noble  effort  was  thoroughly  foiled.  And  it  needed  only 
the  horrible  transactions  about  to  burst  on  him  to  drive  him 
back  to  Ujiji,  destitute,  disappointed  and  sick. 

A  man  named  Manilla,  one  of  the  slaves  employed  in  collect- 
ing ivory  for  the  Arabs,  had  been  carrying  things  with  rather 
a  high  hand  of  late.  Among  other  things,  he  had  formed  a  sort 
of  alliance  with  a  Kimburu,  the  chief  of  the  neighborhood,  by 


630  A   PICTURE   DEFACED. 

"mixing  blood"  with  him,  and  Kimburu  had  given  him  three 
slaves,  and  he  in  turn  had  sacked  ten  villages  of  their  enemies 
iu  token  of  friendship.  This  action  of  Manilla  and  Kimburu 
had  excited  the  jealousy  of  the  Dugumbe's  men,  and  they  com- 
menced a  wholesale  destruction  of  Kimburu's  villages  and 
slaughter  of  his  people,  under  pretence  of  punishing  Manilla, 
but  really  with  no  other  object  than  to  impress  on  the  people  of 
the  whole  country  that  they  must  make  friends  with  them  alone, 
and  not  with  Manilla  or  any  one  else. 

Dr.  Livingstone  first  heard  the  firing  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Lualaba ;  he  knew  well  what  it  meant,  and  with  a  sad  heart  he 
walked  toward  the  market,  where  he  was  accustomed  to  find  his 
only  relief  from  the  oppressive  intercourse  with  the  people,  whose 
every  word  and  act  gave  him  pain.  But  he  little  dreamed  what 
a  spectacle  was  awaiting  him ;  little  did  he  expect  to  see  this 
place  which  had  been  his  refuge  for  months  the  scene  of  the  most 
dreadful  crime  he  had  ever  witnessed.  He  had  often  beguiled 
weary  hours  watching  the  eager  activity  of  these  women ;  had 
enjoyed  their  innocent  jokes,  had  been  intensely  amused  by  their 
various  performances,  and  deeply  interested  in  their  exhibitions 
of  various  tempers,  and  had  found  room  for  much  serious  reflec- 
tion on  the  phases  of  character  among  the  untaught,  and  probably 
devised  many  a  plan  for  the  elevation  of  Africa,  with  the  great 
text-book  of  African  character  and  African  need  lying  open 
before  him.  The  place  had  been  put  among  the  pleasantest 
scenes  and  experiences  of  his  travels,  and  shelved  in  memory  for 
the  illustration  of  the  bright  side  of  African  life  which  he  longed 
to  show  his  countrymen  and  the  world.  He  did  not  dream  that 
this  scene  was  so  soon  to  be  crimsoned  with  the  blood  of  innocent 
beings ;  that  this  pleasant  memory  was  to  receive  the  blackest 
inscription  possible  for  human  depravity  to  indite.  He  never 
penned  a  sadder  record  than  we  find  under  this  memorable  date. 

He  tells  us  that  it  was  a  hot,  sultry  day,  and  when  he  went 
into  the  market  he  saw  Adie  and  Manilla,  and  three  of  the  men 
who  had  lately  come  with  Dugumbe.  He  was  surprised  to  see 
these  three  with  their  guns,  and  felt  inclined  to  reprove  them, 
as  one  of  his  men  did,  for  bringing  weapons  into  the  slaugiiter- 
market,  but  attributing  it  to  their  ignorance,  and  it  being  very 
hot,  he  was  walking  away  to  go  out  of  the  market^  when  he  saw 


HORRIBLE  SLAUGHTER.  6{>.3 

one  of  the  fellows  haggling  about  a  fowl,  and  seizing  hold  of  it. 
Before  he  had  got  thirty  yards  out,  the  discharge  of  two  guns 
in  the  middle  of  the  crowd  told  that  slaughter  had  begun  : 
crowds  dashed  off  from  the  place,  and  threw  down  their  ware.s 
in  confusion,  and  ran.  At  the  same  time  that  the  three  opened 
fire  on  the  mass  of  people  near  the  upper  end  of  the  market- 
place volleys  were  discharged  from  a  party  down  near  the  creek 
on  the  panic-stricken  women,  who  dashed  at  the  canoes.  Tliese, 
some  fifty  or  more,  were  jammed  in  the  creek,  and  the  men  for- 
got their  paddles  in  the  terror  that  seized  all.  The  canoes  were 
not  to  be  got  out,  for  the  creek  was  too  small  for  so  many ;  men 
and  women,  wounded  by  the  balls,  poured  into  them,  and  leaped 
and  scrambled  into  the  water,  shrieking.  A  long  line  of  heads 
in  the  river  showed  that  great  numbers  struck  out  for  an  island 
a  full  mile  off:  in  going  towards  it  they  had  to  put  the  lefl 
shoulder  to  a  current  of  about  two  miles  an  hour ;  if  they  had 
struck  away  diagonally  to  the  opposite  bank,  the  current  would 
have  aided  them,  and  though  nearly  three  miles  off,  some  would 
have  gained  land  :  as  it  was,  the  heads  above  water  showed  the 
long  line  of  those  that  would  inevitably  perish. 

Shot  after  shot  continued  to  be  fired  on  the  helpless  and  per- 
ishing. Some  of  the  long  line  of  heads  disappeared  quietly ; 
whilst  other  poor  creatures  threw  their  arms  high,  as  if  appeal- 
ing to  the  great  Father  above,  and  sank.  One  canoe  took  in  as 
many  as  it  could  hold,  and  all  paddled  with  hands  and  arms : 
three  canoes,  got  out  in  haste,  picked  up  sinking  friends,  till  all 
went  down  together,  and  disappeared.  One  man  in  a  long 
canoe,  which  could  have  held  forty  or  fifty,  had  clearly  lost  his 
head ;  he  had  been  out  in  the  stream  before  the  massacre  began, 
and  now  paddled  up  the  river  nowhere,  and  never  looked  to 
the  drowning.  By-and-by  all  the  heads  disappeared  ;  some  had 
turned  down  stream  towards  the  bank,  and  escaped.  Dugumbe 
put  people  into  one  of  the  deserted  vessels  to  save  those  in  the 
water,  and  saved  twenty-one.  One  woman  refused  to  be  taken  on 
board,  thinking  that  she  was  to  be  made  a  slave;  she  preferred 
the  chance  of  life  by  swimming,  to  the  lot  of  a  slave.  The  Arabs 
themselves  estimated  the  loss  of  life  at  between  three  hundred 
and  thirty  and  four  hundred  souls.  The  shooting-party  near 
the  canoes  were  so  reckless,  they  killed  two  of  their  own  people ; 


C34  THE  EXPLANATION. 

and  a  Wanyamwezi  follower,  who  got  into  a  deserted  canoe  to 
plunder,  fell  into  the  water,  went  down,  then  came  up  again, 
and  down  to  rise  no  more. 

Dr.  Livingstone's  first  impulse  was  to  pistol  the  murderers, 
but  Dugumbe  protested  against  his  getting  into  a  blood-feud, 
and  he  was  thankful  afterwards  that  he  took  the  advice.  Two 
wretched  Moslems  asserted  "  that  the  firing  was  done  by  the 
people  of  the  English ; "  the  doctor  asked  one  of  them  why  he 
lied  so,  but  he  could  utter  no  excuse :  no  other  falsehood  came 
to  his  aid,  he  could  only  stand  abashed,  and  so  telling  him  not 
to  tell  palpable  falsehoods,  Dr.  Livingstone  left  him  gaping. 

After  the  terrible  affair  in  the  water,  the  party  of  Tagamoio, 
who  was  the  chief  perpetrator,  continued  to  fire  on  the  people 
there  and  fire  their  villages.  Loud  wails  could  be  heard  on  the 
left  bank,  over  those  who  were  there  slain,  ignorant  of  their 
many  friends  now  in  the  depths  of  Lualaba.  No  one  will  ever 
know  the  exact  loss  on  this  bright  sultry  summer  morning;  no 
wonder  it  gave  the  sorrowful  witness  the  impression  of  being  in 
hell.  All  the  slaves  in  the  camp  rushed  at  the  fugitives  on 
land,  and  plundered  them  :  women  were  for  hours  collecting  and 
carrying  loads  of  what  had  been  thrown  down  in  terror. 

Some  escaped  to  Dr.  Livingstone  and  were  protected : 
Dugumbe  saved  twenty-one,  and  of  his  own  accord  liberated 
them  ;  they  were  brought  to  the  doctor,  and  remained  over  night 
near  his  house.  One  woman  of  the  saved  had  a  musket-ball 
through  the  thigh,  another  in  the  arm.  The  doctor  sent  men 
with  his  flag  to  save  some,  for  without  a  flag  they  too  might 
have  been  victims,  for  Tagamoio's  people  were  shooting  right 
and  left  like  fiends.  Twelve  villages  were  burning  the  next 
morning.  The  question  was  asked  of  Dugumbe  and  others, 
"  Now  for  what  is  all  this  murder  ?  "  All  blamed  Manilla  as 
its  cause,  and  in  one  sense  he  was  the  cause ;  but  the  wish  to 
make  an  impression  in  the  country  as  to  the  importance  and 
greatness  of  the  new  comers  was  the  most  potent  motive.  It 
was  terrible  to  contemplate  the  murdering  of  so  many.  It  was 
enough  to  make  a  man  sick  at  heart.  Who  could  accompany 
the  i)eople  of  Dugumbe  and  Tagamoio  to  Lomame  and  be  free 
from  blood-guiltiness  ? 

It  was  proposed  to  Dugumbe  to  catch  the  murderers,  and 


AFTER  THE   MASSACRE.  637 

liang  them  up  in  the  market-place,  as  a  protest  against  the 
bloody  deeds  before  the  Manyucma.  If,  as  he  and  others  de- 
clared, the  massacre  was  committed  by  ^Manilla's  people,  he 
would  have  consented  ;  but  it  was  done  by  Tagamoio's  people, 
and  others  of  this  party,  headed  by  Dugumbe.  This  slaughter 
was  peculiarly  atrocious,  inasmuch  as  it  was  well  understood, 
that  by  a  sacred  custom  women  coming  to  or  from  market  have 
never  been  known  to  be  molested :  even  when  two  districts  arc 
engaged  in  actual  hostilities,  "the  women,"  say  they,  "pass 
among  us  to  market  unmolested,"  nor  has  one  ever  been  known 
to  be  plundered  by  the  men.  But  these  Moslems  were  inferior 
to  the  Manyuema  in  sense  of  justice  and  right.  The  people 
under  Hassani  began  the  superwickedness  of  capture  and  pillage 
of  all  indiscriminately.  Dugumbe  promised  to  send  over  men 
to  order  Tagamoio's  men  to  cease  firing  and  burning  villages ; 
they  remained  over  among  the  ruins,  feasting  on  goats  and 
fowls  all  night,  and  next  day  (16th)  continued  their  infamous 
work  till  twenty-seven  villages  were  destroyed. 

Livingstone,  by  his  personal  efforts,  restored  upAvards  of 
thirty  of  the  rescued  to  their  friends :  Dugumbe  seemed  to  act 
in  good  faith,  and  kept  none  of  them ;  it  was  his  own  free  will 
that  guided  him.  Women  were  delivered  to  their  husbands, 
and  about  thirty-three  canoes  left  in  the  creek  were  kept  for  the 
owners. 

While  the  shooting  was  still  going  on  on  the  other  side,  and 
many  captives  being  caught,  Tagamoio's  people  began  to  cross 
over  in  canoes,  beating  their  drums,  firing  their  guns,  and 
shouting,  as  if  to  say,  "  See  the  conquering  heroes  come ; "  they 
are  answered  by  the  women  of  Dugumbe's  camp  lullilooing, 
and  friends  then  fire  off  their  guns  in  joy. 

This  horrible  massacre  was  more  than  he  could  endure.  He 
never  could  have  consented  to  go  a  mile  farther  with  the  mur- 
derers. He  had  mastered  his  own  feelings  for  years,  had  en- 
dured to  be  dependent  on  men  whose  presence  was  a  continual 
sorrow,  had  endured  witnessing  all  the  horrors  of  the  slave- 
trade  in  its  most  extravagant  proportions  and  its  most  abomin- 
able forms,  all  in  the  interest  of  science  and  humanity;  to 
endure  this  longer  was  to  him  worse  than  death,  worse  than 
failure,  worse  than  all  other  ills  combined.     He  could  not  go  on 


G38  THE  QUESTION   SETTLED. 

without  them,  because  lie  would  be  in  the  power  of  ten  men, 
unprincipled  every  way,  who  had  determined  on  his  death  if  he 
should  attempt  to  compel  them  to  go.  He  could  not  take  only 
Susi,  Chuma,  and  Gardner,  and  go.  They  loved  him,  were  true 
to  him,  would  die  for  him,  but  they  would  certainly  be  called 
on  to  do  it,  and  it  would  be  all  that  they  could  do.  There  was 
one  thing  only :  he  would  return  immediately  to  Ujiji  and  seek 
to  fit  himself  up  again  with  a  better  escort. 

When  Dugumbe's  party  saw  that  he  was  determined  to  go  back 
they  offered  many  things,  but  he  took  only  a  little  gunpowder. 
They  made  presents  of  beads,  but  he  insisted  on  returning  their 
value  in  cloth ;  he  felt  that  all  they  had  was  the  price  of  blood. 
Dugumbe  himself  seemed  very  friendly  and  sent  beads  and  cow- 
ries for  purchasing  food  on  the  journey,  also  two  very  fine  large 
Manyuema  swords,  and  two  equally  fine  spears. 

The  poor  sufferers,  who  had  survived  the  dreadful  war  which 
had  been  made  on  them,  had  found  out  fully  that  the  white 
man  had  a  heart  for  them,  and  thronged  him,  begging  him  to 
stay.  Yes,  those  poor  degraded  people,  so  bloodthirsty  them- 
selves, cannibals,  surrounded  the  one  man  in  all  that  company 
in  whom  dwelt  the  spirit  of  Christ,  and  begged  him  to  stay 
with  them  and  help  them  find  new  homes.  Oh,  who  shall  dis- 
trust the  power  of  Christian  kindness  to  control  the  most  un- 
bridled passions?  What  power  on  earth  can  take  hold  so 
strongly  on  the  hearts  of  men  as  the  grace  of  God  ?  But  it 
was  impossible;  the  decision  was  taken  ;  he  would  go  immedi- 
ately. It  was  hard,  but  his  faith  accepted  it.  He  had  experi- 
enced too  frequently,  too  steadily  in  his  life,  the  goodness  of  God 
to  doubt  that  even  this  sorest  of  all  his  disappointments  was 
ordered  graciously.  Only  very  lately  he  had  seen  that  hand. 
The  very  thing  which  he  had  most  desired  for  two  months, 
if  he  had  obtained,  would  have  been  his  destruction :  he  had 
wanted  a  canoe ;  only  recently  news  had  come  that  a  party  of 
the  traders  who  had  gone  down  the  river  farther  than  the  others, 
came  suddenly  to  tremendous  falls,  and  several  of  the  foremost 
canoes  were  swept  away.  God  had  kept  him  back  from  that 
peril :  it  was  only  one  of  many  deliverances  wrought  against 
his  own  blind  will.  He  would  trust  God.  And  we  shall  soon 
see  how  graciously  God  was  drawing  him  back  to  Ujiji.     We 


PROVIDENCE   UNFOLDED.  G39 

know  that  all  civilized  nations  had  shared  the  anxiety  to  know 
whether  he  was  living  or  dead  :  if  living,  where;  if  dead,  where 
he  died  and  how?  We  know  that  he  had  with  him  the  records 
of  a  number  of  years,  covering  many  of  the  most  important 
discoveries  ever  made  in  Africa,  containing  many  things  of  in- 
finite consequence  in  connection  with  the  great  work  of  African 
evangelization,  and  of  immense  importance  in  the  interests  of 
science.  We  know  thnt  anxious,  loving  hearts  in  England,  be- 
hind the  great  eager  public,  were  almost  breaking  with  desire  to 
know  whether  he  was  living  or  dead.  There  were  reasons  why 
he  should  not  die  in  the  forests  of  Manyuema.  A  noble, 
generous  man,  consecrated  to  the  interests  of  humanity,  may 
propose  greater  sacrifice  of  himself  than  God  is  pleased  to  have 
him  make.  Many  a  man  would  die  in  a  cause  whose  life  may 
be  of  more  consequence  than  the  cause  itself.  God  may  judge 
in  such  matters ;  he  may  save  a  man  at  the  sacrifice  of  that 
man's  dearest  enterprises,  and  do  graciously  in  it.  We  venture 
to  believe  that  this  was  done  in  bringing  Dr.  Livingstone  back 
to  Ujiji  just  when  he  was  brought  back.  His  desire  was  to 
explore  the  Lualaba,  hoping  to  find  it  connected  with  the  Nile. 
But  he  would  have  been  exposing  all  the  information  which 
he  had  gained  to  eternal  oblivion,  had  he  gone  on.  If  he  had 
died,  all  was  lost — all  his  toil  and  sacrifice,  all  the  interest  of  the 
world  in  his  expedition.  We  ought  to  thank  God  for  bringing 
him  out  of  the  danger.  And  we  can  see  the  providence  in  it 
more  clearly  than  he  saw  it,  when  he  turned  his  back  on  the 
great  river.  We  remember  that  just  about  the  time  that  Dr. 
Livingstone  arrived  at  Bambarre,  there  was  a  young  man,  a 
total  stranger  to  him,  one  who  would  never  have  been  thought 
of  as  conceiving  such  an  enterprise,  purposing  in  his  heart  the 
relief  of  the  great  traveller.  Almost  the  very  day  that  he  entered 
this  wild  country  there  flashed  across  the  continent  from 
Paris  to  Madrid  the  few  simple  words  which  inaugurated  the 
expedition  which  God  meant  should  relieve  the  suspense  of  the 
nations,  save  the  information  which  was  of  such  vast  import- 
ance to  the  cause  of  Christ  and  humanity,  and  cheer  the  weary 
toiler  with  assurances  of  his  care  and  the  appreciation  of  man- 
kind. That  young  man  was  James  Gordon  Bennett,  Jr. ;  those 
simple  words  were,  "  Come  to  Paris  on  important  business." 


640  god's  expedition. 

The  man  who  received  them  was  Henry  M.  Stanley.  The 
two  men  met  in  a  bed-room,  early  in  the  morning.  They  had 
never  met  before ;  God  had  moved  the  heart  of  one,  and  chosen 
the  other.  Many  "  Livingstone  search  expeditions"  had  failed  : 
God  never  fails.  The  men  may  neither  of  them  have  thought 
of  God  in  the  matter,  but  God  thought  of  Livingstone.  We 
do  not  believe  that  the  men  whom  he  selected  for  the  purposes 
of  his  providence  were  only  absorbed  by  ends  of  personal  gain 
or  emolument.  The  world  is  hardly  generous  in  its  habit  of 
finding  lower  motives  for  the  actors  in  the  nobler  dramas  of  life, 
when  lofty  motives  might  as  easily  be  assigned  them.  Mr. 
Bennett  was  the  proprietor  of  a  great  journal.  The  proprietor 
of  a  great  journal  may  be  impelled  to  the  very  acts  which  con- 
duce to  its  greater  prosperity  by  holier  impulses  than  can  arise 
out  of  considerations  of  wealth  or  popularity.  We  love  to  be- 
lieve that  Mr.  Bennett  is  such  a  man.  We  prefer  to  see  in  his 
purpose  to  send  assistance  to  Dr.  Livingstone  an  exhibition  of 
benevolence  which  dignifies  humanity,  and  the  impulses  of  a 
soul  awake  to  influences  higher  than  earth.  Mr.  Bennett  may 
not  have  realized  it  fully,  or  he  may  have,  but  he  was  obeying 
God.  INIr.  Stanley  was  a  "Flying  Journalist;"  but  God  saw 
in  him  the  elements  of  the  hero  demanded  by  so  great  an  occa- 
sion. We  do  not  believe  that  he  does  himself  justice  in  insinuat- 
ing that  he  went  to  Africa  only  as  he  would  have  gone  anywhere 
else,  under  orders  from  his  employer.  Such  a  spirit  of  obedi- 
ence and  faithfulness  under  an  engagement  is  commendable; 
but  we  prefer  to  recognize  in  Mr.  Stanley  a  spirit  which  lifts 
him  above  the  common  level  of  ordinary  business  honesty.  He 
manifested  an  enthusiasm  in  this  undertaking  which  betrayed 
a  greatness  of  soul  which  he  has  preferred  to  conceal,  that  his 
employer  might  have  the  more  honor.  He  may  not  have 
essayed  this  expedition  at  the  suggestions  of  his  own  benevo- 
lence, he  probably  could  not  have  done  so ;  but  when  he  saw 
that  he  might  do  it,  his  heart  bounded  to  the  work.  We  be- 
lieve he  went  forth  from  Paris  under  a  higher  commission  than 
that  of  Mr.  Bennett.  There  was  needed  money,  and  there  was 
needed  a  man;  God  knew  where  to  find  both,  and  he  did  find 
them,  just  when  he  saw  that  one  of  his  noblest  servants  was  ap- 
proaching an  extremity.     There  is  something  very  solemn  and 


THE  RENDEZVOUS  APPOINTED.  G4l 

precious  about  this  remarkable  expedition.  God  knew  exactly 
when  the  extremity  would  be.  While  he  allowed  Dr.  Living- 
stone to  go  on  wandering  about  in  Manyuema,  he  allowed  Mr. 
Stanley  to  travel  leisurely  toward  the  continent  of  Africa.  And 
when  the  hour  came,  the  hour  of  crushing  disappointment,  and 
Dr.  Livingstone  turned  toward  Ujiji,  sick  at  heart,  utterly  per- 
plexed, the  deliverer,  an  utter  stranger,  of  another  nation  than 
he,  was  easy  marching-distance  of  the  divinely  appointed  ren- 
dezvous. These  two  men — one  a  man  broken  down  in  health, 
bearing  on  his  shoulders  the  weight  of  many  years  of  severe 
hardships,  and  on  his  heart  a  heavier  weight  of  anxieties  and 
symjiathy  for  the  degraded,  the  other  a  young  man  borne  up 
by  the  elasticity  of  youth,  and  lifeful  in  the  freshness  of  his 
noble  work — will  be  approaching  each  other,  with  what  adven- 
tures we  shall  see  hereafter. 


CHAPTER    XXX. 

THE   DELIVERANCE. 

Mr.  Stanley  at  Zanzibar— Selecting  Followers— African  Currency— Curiosity 
Unsatisfied— "  Speke's  Faithfuls  "—Bagamoyo— The  Mrima— The  Frontier  of 
Barbarism— The  Baloch— The  Wamri ma— The  Ilalf-Caste  Arab— Reception  at 
Bagamoyo— The  Jesuit  Mission— Mr.  Stanley's  House— Great  Preparations- 
Mr.  Stanley  and  others— The  Route  Selected— On  the  March— First  Hunt— 
The  Walv were  — The  Wadoe— Beautiful  Scenery— "  Envious  Evil"— The 
"Waseguhha— Handsome  Savage— The  Wagogo— Death  and  Marriage— Penal- 
ties of  Murder  and  Theft— News  of  Dr.  Livingstone— A  Difficulty— Murder 
Attempted — Providence. 

Me.  Stanley  landed  at  Zanzibar  on  the  6th  of  January, 
1871,  under  commission  from  Mr.  James  Gordon  Bennett  of 
New  York — with  full  liberty,  unlimited  as  to  expenses,  with 
his  orders  condensed  into  the  shortest  possible  sentence — "  Find 
Livingstone."  His  duty  was  very  clearly  set  forth,  and  he  was 
there  to  do  it.  He  brought  with  hira  to  Zanzibar  Wm.  Law- 
rence Farquhar,  who  had  attracted  his  attention  as  first  mate 
on  the  vessel  in  which  he  had  sailed  from  Bombay ;  and  Selim, 
a  Christian  Arab  boy  of  Jerusalem,  who  had  been  employed 
as  interpreter.  About  this  little  nucleus,  Mr.  Stanley  began 
immediately  forming  his  army  for  the  arduous  enterprise 
before  him.  The  selection  of  a  force  of  attendants  is  probably 
the  most  important  part  of  the  preparation  for  such  an  expedi- 
tion. Besides  followers,  however,  it  was  necessary  to  collect 
great  quantities  of  such  African  currency  as  we  have  now  be- 
come tolerably  familiar  with. 

The  presence  of  an  American  in  Zanzibar,  fitting  out  so  costly 
an  expedition,  heading  for  central  Africa,  created  quite  a  sensa- 
tion, and  became  the  engrossing  topic  of  conversation  in  all  cir- 
cles. The  interest  was  all  the  more  intense,  becjuise  this  stran- 
ger seemed  so  very  reticent  about  his  purposes  and  plans.  He 
allowed  no  one  to  know  more  than  was  written  on  his  card — 
642 


ON  AFRICAN  son..  643 

"Henry  M.  Stanley,"  "New  York  Herald."  People  high  and 
low  wore  gazing  in  perplexity  at  that  bit  of  card-board  when 
Mr.  Stanley  embarked  his  expedition  for  the  African  coast,  on 
the  5th  of  February, 

A  white  man  named  Shaw  had  been  employed  at  Zanzibar, 
and  six  of  the  men  who  had  gained  considerable  reputation 
before,  as  "  Speke's  Faithfuls ; "  these  six  men  were  named  re- 
spectively, Bombay,  Uledi,  Ulimengo,  Baruti,  Ambari,  and 
Mabruki,  who  had  obtained  the  distinction  "  bull-headed," 
from  Captain  Burton.  With  his  escort  thus  perfected,  two 
horses,  two  donkeys,  and  almost  a  boat-load  of  "  money,"  Mr. 
Stanley  entered  the  harbor  of  Bagamoyo,  early  in  February, 
1871. 

"  Bagamoyo  is  a  small  port  on  the  Mrima ;  this  narrow  strip 
of  land  has  attracted  the  gaze  of  the  civilized  world,  because  of 
its  conspicuous  connection  with  the  slave-trade;  within  the  coast 
limits  of  this  small  district  are  to  be  found  the  ports  through 
which  by  far  the  greater  number  of  human  beings  bought  or 
captured  or  kidnapped  in  the  interior  are  shipped  abroad. 
There  are  Mombasah,  Bueni,  Saadani,  Whinde,  Bagamoyo, 
Kaole,  Kenduchi,  Dar  Salaam,  Mbuamaji,  and  Kilwa,  with  their 
records  of  violence,  just  as  they  have  been  seen  by  so  many 
thousands  of  helpless  victims  of  '  man's  inhumanity  to  man,' 
gazing  the  last  time  toward  their  homes." 

The  traveller,  who  approaches  this  famous  coast  from  the 
sea,  is  constrained  to  gaze  with  peculiar  interest  on  the  scene 
which  lies  before  him.  "  On  one  side,"  writes  Mr.  Burton,  "  lies 
the  Indian  ocean,  illimitable  toward  the  east,  dimpled  with  its 
'anerithmon  gelasma,'  and  broken  westward  by  a  thin  line  of 
foam,  creaming  upon  the  whitest  and  finest  of  sand,  the  detritus 
of  coralline  and  madrepore.  It  dents  the  coast  deeply,  forming 
fbays,  bayous,  lagoons,  and  backwaters,  where,  after  breaking 
their  force  upon  bars  and  black  ledges  of  sand  and  rock,  upon 
diabolitos  or  sun-stained  masses  of  a  coarse  conglomerate,  and 
upon  strong  wiers  planted  in  crescent  shape,  the  waters  lie  at 
rest  in  the  arms  of  the  land  like  sheets  of  oil.  The  points  and 
islets  formed  by  these  sea-streams  are  almost  flush  with  the 
briny  surface,  yet  they  are  overgrown  with  a  profuse  vegetation, 
the  result  of  tropical  suns  and  copious  showers,  which  supply 


644  MRIMA    COAST. 

the  wants  of  rich  soil.  The  banks  of  the  backwaters  are  lined 
with  forests  of  white  and  red  mangrove.  When  the  tide  is  out 
the  cone-shaped  root- work  supporting  each  tree  rises  naked  from 
the  deep  sea-ooze  ;  parasitical  oysters  cluster  over  the  trunks  at 
water  level,  and  between  the  adults  rise  slender  young  shoots, 
tipped  with  bunches  of  brilliant  green.  The  pure  white  sand  is 
bound  together  by  a  kind  of  convolvulus,  whose  large  fleshy 
leaves  and  lilac-colored  flowers  creep  along  the  loose  soil, 
where,  raised  high  above  the  ocean  level,  the  coast  is  a  wall  of 
verdure.  Plots  of  bald  old  trees,  bent  by  the  regular  breezes, 
betray  the  positions  of  settlements,  which,  generally  sheltered 
from  sight,  besprinkle  the  coast  in  a  long  straggling  line  like 
the  suburbs  of  a  populous  city.  Thirteen  of  these  settlements 
were  counted  in  a  space  of  three  miles.  Here  and  there  the 
monotony  of  green  is  relieved  by  dwarf  earth-clifis  and  scaurs 
of  rufous  hue.  And  behind  the  foreground  of  alluvial  plain,  at 
a  distance  varying  from  three  to  five  miles,  rises  a  blue  line  of 
higher  level  conspicuous  even  from  Zanzibar  island — the 
frontier  of  the  wild  men.  In  the  narrow  strip  between  this 
frontier  of  absolute  barbarism  and  the  coast,  the  region  we  have 
described,  where  the  semi-civilization  has  its  foothold,  the 
principal  part  of  the  population  are  soldiers,  who  call  them- 
selves Baloch.  ^Many  of  them  were  born  in  Arabia,  where  they 
were  fakirs,  sailors,  porters,  and  day-laborers,  barbers,  date- 
gleaners,  beggars,  and  thieves.  They  are  a  turbulent  bragga- 
docio set:  as  young  men,  with  no  loftier  ambition  than  may  be 
gratified  in  smoking,  chatting,  and  idle  controversy;  as  old  men 
they  are  silly,  babbling  patriarchs  with  white  beards,  telling 
wondrous  stories  of  former  times  and  distant  places.  Young  or 
old,  they  are  notorious  liars  and  vagabonds.  Next  to  these  in 
dignity  are  the  Wamrima,  whose  highest  aspiration  is  the 
privilege  of  idleness  and  luxury,  which  comes  easily  to  them  by 
unscrupulous  exactions  from  travellers  and  traders,  and  the 
labor  of  the  slaves  who  cultivate  their  fields.  Mingling  with 
the  soldiers  and  Wamrima  are  numerous  representatives  of  the 
inland  tribes  in  various  capacities.  The  half-caste  Arab,  too,  is 
a  conspicuous  character  in  the  motley  society  of  Mrinia.  A 
degraded  licentious  class,  loving  the  freedom  from  restraint, 
which  ia   the  license  of  barbarism,  and  wearing  with  boastful 


JESUIT  MISSION.  645 

pride  the  insignia  of  his  Arabic  origin,  chafing  under  the  con- 
tempt in  which  his  black  skin  is  lield,  and  pampering  the  lusts 
of  his  black  blood.  Among  such  people  the  European  or 
American  must  not  expect  to  find  any  appreciation  of  his  earn- 
est ideas  of  life.  It  is  only  natural  that  the  days  should  be 
passed  in  drumming,  dancing,  and  drinking,  gossip,  squabble, 
and  intrigue.  Bagaraoyo  is  a  representative  town  of  Mrima, 
and  when  INIr.  Stanley  landed  there,  it  was  amidst  such  people, 
and  surrounded  by  such  scenes.  And  the  dignitary  on  whom 
it  devolved  to  welcome  him  as  one  great  man  welcomes  another 
was  no  less  a  personage  than  the  Jemedar  (commander  we  would 
say)  of  the  soldiers  stationed  there.  This  gentleman  came  for- 
ward adorned  with  a  long  trailing  turban,  to  shake  the  stran- 
ger's hand,  and  assisted  in  the  debarkation  of  the  expedition. 
But  at  Bagamoyo  Mr.  Stanley  found  also  cordial  welcome  at 
the  hands  of  the  members  of  the  Jesuit  mission,  established  at 
that  place  under  Father  Superior  Horner,  who  offered  him 
their  hospitality,  which  was  as  genial  and  lavish  as  could  have 
been  expected  in  the  most  enlightened  city  on  earth  ;  and  while 
he  felt  unwilling  to  give  up  his  independence,  so  far  as  to  take 
up  his  abode  there,  he  enjoyed  exceedingly  such  visits  as  ho  paid 
the  "  fathers."  "  The  mission,"  says  he,  "  forms  quite  a  village 
of  itself,  numbering  some  fifteen  or  sixteen  houses.  There  are 
ten  padres  engaged  in  the  establishment  and  as  many  sisters. 
They  have  over  two  hundred  pupils,  boys  and  girls,  in  their 
care,  and  all  of  them  seemed  to  be  making  good  progress."  How 
much  happier  would  have  been  all  eastern  Africa  to-day,  if 
these  earnest  men  and  their  predecessors  had  only  pursued  the 
wiser  course  of  making  the  absolute  conversion  of  men  their 
primary  aim  and  the  ground-work  of  the  reformation  they 
sought  to  effect. 

Immediately  on  landing,  Mr.  Stanley  selected  himself  a  house 
in  the  outskirts  of  the  village,  and  set  about  completing  his 
arrangements  for  his  march  to  Ujiji.  And  such  a  task  !  The 
parties  through  whom  he  was  obliged  to  operate,  in  order  to 
secure  carriers  at  Bagamoyo,  were  dilatory  and  extortionate, 
and  it  was  only  after  a  great  deal  of  annoyance  and  delay,  a 
young  man,  who  announced  himself  as  Soor  Hadji  Palloo, 
made  his  appearance,  and  informed  Mr.  Stanley  that  he  had 
33 


C46  IN   MARCHING   ORDER. 

been  requested  to  serve  bim,  by  Tarya  Topan,  a  wealthy 
merchant  of  2j{inzibar.  By  the  cooperation  of  this  man,  the 
goods  were  finally  all  on  the  way  to  Unyanyembe.  It  had  not 
been  thought  wise  for  a  large  number  of  people,  with  so  much 
property,  to  set  out  in  a  single  company.  They  had,  therefore, 
been  separated  into  five  distinct  caravans,  starting  at  different 
times,  so  as  to  put  some  days  between  them,  Mr.  Stanley  him- 
self bringing  up  the  rear  of  the  last  caravan,  which  moved 
away  from  Bagamoyo  on  the  21st  of  March,  exactly  seventy- 
three  days  after  he  had  landed  on  the  coast. 

The  expedition  could  hardly  have  been  more  thoroughly  or- 
ganized or  furnished.  There  were  in  all  "  three  white  men, 
twenty-three  soldiers,  four  supernumeraries,  four  chiefs,  and  one 
hundred  and  fifty-three  pagazis,  twenty-seven  donkeys,  and  one 
cart;  conveying  cloth,  beads,  and  wire,  boat-fixings,  tents, 
cooking  utensils,  and  dishes;  medicine,  powder,  small  shot, 
musket  balls,  and  metallic  cartridges,  instruments  and  small 
necessaries,  such  as  soap,  sugar,  tea,  coffee,  Liebig's  extract  of 
meat,  pemmican,  candles,  etc.,  making  in  all  one  hundred  and 
tlfty-three  loads.  The  weapons  of  defence  which  the  expedi- 
tion possessed  consisted  of  one  double-barrel  breech-loading 
gun,  smooth  bore ;  one  American  Winchester  rifle,  or  sixteen- 
shooter;  one  Henry  rifle,  also  a  sixteen-shooter ;  two  Starr's 
breech-loaders,  one  Jocelyn  breech-loader,  one  elephant  rifle, 
carrying  balls  eight  to  the  pound ;  two  breech-loading  revolv- 
ers, twenty-four  muskets  (flint  locks),  six  six-barrelled  pistols, 
one  battle-axe,  two  swords,  two  daggers  (Persian  Kummers), 
purchased  by  Mr.  Stanley  at  Shiraz,  one  boar  shear,  two  Ameri- 
can axes,  four  pounds  each,  twenty -four  hatchets,  and  twenty- 
four  butcher  knives.  Nothing  had  been  stinted,  everything 
was  provided.  Nothing  had  been  done  hurriedly,  yet  every- 
thing had  been  purchased,  manufiictured,  collected,  and  com- 
pounded with  the  utmost  despatch,  consistent  with  efliciency  and 
means."  The  success  or  failure  depended,  under  God,  on  the 
one  man  who  rode  behind  the  last  caravan,  "the  vanguard, 
the  thinker,  the  will  of  the  expe<lition." 

We  cannot  record  in  detail  the  adventures  of  Mr.  Stanley  or 
the  incidents  of  his  journey  to  Ujiji.  The  reader  who  has  not 
liad  occasion  to  notice  carefully  the  routes  of  the  different  trav- 


MR.  Stanley's  route.  647 

oilers  whose  names  are  associated  with  the  Lake  Tanganyika, 
may  need  to  be  cautioned  against  the  mistake  of  confounding 
Mr.  Stanley's  route  with  those  of  his  predecessoi-s.  He  did  not 
adopt  the  path  of  Burton  and  Speke,  afterwards  traversed  by 
Speke  and  Grant.  Although  the  general  features  of  the  country 
between  Zanzibar  and  TTjiji  were  already  comparatively  well 
known,  Mr.  Stanley  cannot  be  thought  of  as  simply  marching 
along  a  highway  ;  and  while,  being  sent  on  a  special  errand,  he 
had  not  the  liberty  of  turning  aside  for  the  purpose  of  making 
discoveries,  he  deserves  an  honorable  place  among  those  who 
have  rendered  valuable  service  in  unveiling  the  mysteries  of 
Africa. 

He  was  in  Africa  to  find  Dr.  Livingstone,  and  the  faithful- 
ness with  which  he  resisted  the  temptation  to  select  a  route 
Avhich  might  draw  to  himself  the  attention  of  geographers 
proves  how  wisely  !Mr.  Bennett  had  selected,  in  looking  for  a 
man  to  be  intrusted  with  so  sacred  a  mission.  Ujiji  was,  of 
cx)urse,  the  point  toward  which  he  directed  his  steps,  not  that  he 
expected  to  find  the  object  of  his  search  there,  but  because  he 
had  reason  to  hope  that  there  he  might  find  some  clue  to  his 
whereabouts.  The  contract  with  Soor  Hadji  Palloo  provided  for 
the  transportation  of  the  expedition  to  Unyanyembe,  which  we 
will  remember  is  within  twelve  or  thirteen  days  march  of  Ujiji. 
"  There  were  three  routes  from  Baganioyo  to  Unyanyembe, 
either  of  which  might  have  been  taken  ;  two  of  them  had  already 
been  described  minutely  by  Messrs.  Burton,  Speke,  and  Grant ; 
the  other,  more  northern  and  direct,  was  said  to  lead  through 
northern  Uzaramo,  Ukwere,  Ukami,  Udoe,  Useguhha  or  Use- 
gura,  Usagara,  Ugogo,  and  Unyanzi ;  "  this  route  was  adopted 
by  Mr.  Stanley.  The  distance  from  Baganioyo  to  Unyanyembe, 
according  to  Mr.  Stanley,  is^  by  direct  measurement  about 
three  hundred  and  sixty  miles,  nearly  six  degrees  of  longitude, 
l)ut  "  the  sinuosity  of  the  path  taken  by  caravans,  which  in 
Africa  follows  the  easier,  less  dangerous,  and  more  available 
courses,  extends  the  distance  to  be  traversed  to  over  five  hun- 
dred miles." 

Mr.  Stanley  set  out  on  this  long  journey  full  of  enthusiasm, 
which  communicated  itself  to  the  whole  party  ;  and  it  was  no 
wonder  that  the  residents  of  Bagamoyo  looked  on  with  curious 


648  FIRST   LESSON    IN    HUNTING. 

admiration  as  the  long  line  filed  away  up  the  "  narrow  lane, 
across  which  the  mimosa  boughs  wove  a  royal  arch  in  seeming 
consciousness.  The  soldiers  sang,  the  carriers  shouted,  and  the 
kirangozi  fluttered  the  beautiful  American  flag  as  proudly  as 
lie  could  have  done  if  he  had  understood  the  slguifiaince  of  those 
stars  and  stripes."  Mr.  Stanley  was  not  a  youth,  but  his  heart 
bounded  with  youthful  joy,  and  he  lifted  up  his  face  toward  the 
pure  glowing  sky  and  cried,  "  God  be  thanked  !  " 

"  The  road  was  only  a  foot  path,"  winding  across  the  surface 
of  splendid  soil,  between  gardens  and  fields,  where  abundance 
of  grain  and  vegetables  rewarded  the  heedless  labor  of  the 
Wasawahili.  These  dwellers  between  the  semi-civilization  of 
the  coast  and  the  absolute  darkness  of  the  interior  are  some  of 
them  a  little  better  dressed,  and  make  a  little  more  respectable 
appearance  than  those  farther  west.  But  the  blood  of  the  bar- 
barian is  there,  and  the  caravan  had  not  proceeded  many  miles 
before  Mr.  Stanley  was  surrounded  by  astonished  crowds  of 
men  and  women  who  were  absolutely  innocent  of  clothing,  all 
gazing  on  the  "  Basungu  "  (white  man),  laughing  and  pointing 
their  fingers  like  children  at  the  various  objects  which  seemed 
to  them  the 'Strangest. 

At  the  Kingani  the  gallant  leader  of  the  expedition  had  his 
initiatory  lesson  shooting  African  game.  This  turbid  stream  is 
famous  for  its  hippopotami.  It  is  just  such  a  stream  as  these 
huge  creatures  have  s[>ecial  delight  in.  Its  banks  supported 
the  famous  jungles  of  giant  reeds  and  matted  climbers,  over- 
shadowed by  enormous  forest  trees,  and  threaded  by  creeks  and 
boggy  sluices,  and  all  across  its  bed  huge  masses  of  rock  broke 
the  force  of  the  current  and  formed  eddies,  counter-currents  and 
an  infinite  succession  of  shallows  and  deep  places.  While  his 
party  were  being  conveyed  across  by  the  canoe  men,  Stanley  set 
about  testing  the  accuracy  and  force  of  his  guns.  His  Winchester 
rifle  amounted  to  nothing ;  one  old  fellow  was  tapped  close  to 
the  right  ear,  and  only  turned  around  as  if  to  inquire  into  the 
needless  waste  of  powder  and  ball.  This  old  gentleman  received 
the  messenger  from  the  smooth  bore  very  difl'erently;  bellowing 
with  pain,  and  trembling  in  the  agonies  of  death  he  reeled  a 
moment  and  fell  down  dead.  The  piteous  groans  of  the  am- 
phibious monster  touche<l  a  tender  place  of  Mr.  Stanley's  heart, 
nnd  he  turned  awav  from  the  cruel  sport. 


A   BEAUTIFUL    DISTRICT.  651 

The  caravan  had  in  the  meantime  crossed  safely,  men,  bales, 
donkeys  and  baggaj^e,  and  the  long  line  moved  off  over  a  mnch 
more  beautiful  district  than  had  yet  been  seen ;  first  splendid 
park-like  lands,  next  through  a  grove  of  young  ebony  trees,  where 
guinea  fowls  and  hartbeests  were  seen  ;  then  winding  about 
with  all  the  characteristic  eccentric  curves  of  a  goat  path,  up 
and  down  a  succession  of  land  waves,  crested  by  the  dark  green 
foliage  of  the  mango,  and  the  scantier  and  lighter-colored  leaver 
of  the  enormous  calabash.  The  depressions  were  filled  witii 
jungle,  while  here  and  there  were  open  glades,  shadowed  even 
during  noon  by  their  groves  of  towering  trees.  As  the  strange 
cavalcade  passed  along,  every  living  thing  seemed  to  be  in  con- 
sternation, "flocks  of  green  pigeons,  jays,  ibis,  turtle-doves, 
golden  pheasants,  quails  and  moor-hens,  with  crows  and  hawks, 
flew  away  in  terror,  while  here  and  there  a  solitary  pelican  was 
seen  bearing  ofl"  from  the  doubtful  scenes  on  stately  wing,  and 
beautiful  pairs  of  antelopes  dashed  away  like  fairies,  and  grave- 
looking  monkeys  with  their  bullet  heads,  white  breasts  and 
long  tails  were  hopping  out  of  reach  like  Australian  kangaroos." 

Four  miles  from  the  river  a  halt  was  ordered  at  Kikoka,  which 
is  on  the  western  border  of  Mrima.  This  frontier  city  was  only 
a  collection  of  straw  huts  erected  in  utter  indifference  of  archi- 
tectural style,  surrounded  by  a  pitiable  apology  for  fields.  The 
people  were  indolent  idlers  who  had  settled  there  from  Mrima 
and  Zanzibar.  The  next  stage  brought  the  expedition  to  Rosako, 
the  frontier  village  of  Ukwere,  perched  on  a  little  hillock  sur- 
rounded by  an  impenetrable  jungle  of  thorny  acacia. 

Mr.  Stanley  was  now  fairly  in  the  midst  of  African  scenes. 
The  wilderness  \va.s  broken  only  by  the  little  villages  which 
every  now  and  then  appeared  peeping  through  the  crevices  of 
their  wonderful  fortresses  of  acacia,  and  the  people  were  fully 
up  to  the  average  in  genuine  African  characteristics.  And 
thenceforward  the  journey  was  the  monotonous  succession  of 
delays,  extortions,  short  marches,  fevers,  losses  and  anxieties 
which  distinguish  all  such  expeditions.  The  Wakwere  were  not 
strong  enough  to  be  bold,  but  they  were  mean  enough  to  be 
annoying,  and  sustained  their  reputation  for  dishonesty  with 
evident  pleasure.  And  they  supported  their  claims  to  African 
nativity  by  as  varied  devices  and  as  characteristic  developments 


(J 52  PICTURESQUE   SCEXEEY. 

as  any  tribe  could  boast  of.  The  belles  of  the  district,  as  is  the 
wont  and  undisputed  right  of  their  sex,  were  conspicuous  by  a 
fondness  for  delight  in  brass  wire  wound  in  strands  about  the 
wrists  and  ankles,  and  the  various  styles  their  insipid  heads  ex- 
hibited and  lengthy  necklaces  dangling  about  their  black  and 
shining  bodies,  while  their  poor  lords  were  obliged  to  be  con- 
tented with  dingy  torn  clouts  and  split  ears. 

Crossing  the  Ungerengeri,  a  beautiful  river  with  a  broad 
fertile  valley,  on  the  western  border  of  Ukwere,  and  passing 
through  the  narrow  belt  of  country  which  is  all  that  is  left  to 
the  warlike  remnants  of  the  once  powerful  Wakami  tribe,  the 
young  traveller  entered  the  territory  of  the  Wadoe,  a  people  full 
of  traditions,  who  have  always  defended  themselves  bravely 
against  the  encroachments  of  neighbors  and  the  invasions  of 
marauders.  They  are  described  as  nobler  looking  than  the 
Wakwere  or  Wakami,  with  a  lighter  shade  and  more  intelligent 
cast  of  features.  The  region  they  inhabit  might  well  have  been 
guarded  by  them  with  jealous  courage.  Speaking  of  it,  Mr. 
Stanley  says  :  "  It  is  in  appearance  amongst  the  most  picturesque 
countries  between  the  coast  and  Unyanyembe.  Great  cones 
shoot  upward  above  the  everlasting  forests,  tipped  by  the  light 
fleecy  clouds,  through  which  the  warm  glowing  sun  darts  its 
rays,  bathing  the  whole  in  a  quickening  radiance  which  brings 
out  those  globes  of  foliage  that  rise  in  tier  after  tier  along  the 
hill-sides  in  rich  and  varied  hues  which  would  mock  the  most 
ambitious  painter's  skill."  From  the  winding  paths  along  the 
or&sts  of  ridges  the  traveller  may  look  down  over  forest-clad 
slopes  into  the  deep  valleys,  and  across  to  other  slopes  as  gayly 
clad,  and  other  ridges  where  deep  concentric  folds  tempt  him 
to  curious  wanderings  by  their  beauty  and  mystery  and  gran- 
deur. But  those  lovely  glades  and  queenly  hills  told  saddest 
stories  of  cruel  deeds  and  wrongs  irreparable.  It  is  the  old 
story:  envious  evil  eagerly  invades  with  its  polluting  presence 
tliose  sacred  spots  where  all  is  loveliest;  infernal  malice  mars 
with  strange  delight  what  is  beautiful  and  pure.  On  man  first, 
creation's  inner  court,  the  author  of  evil  fixed  his  revengefid 
eye,  and  rested  not  until  the  cruel  blight  had  fallen  on  all  the 
beauty  and  purity.  And  human  depravity,  like  the  malice  of 
Satan,  has  worn  ita  darkest  scowl  amid  the  loveliest  scenes,  and 


FORESTS   AND   BARBARIANS.  Go3 

dyed  the  records  of  its  infamy  the  deepest  into  tliose  pages 
of  nature  where  the  eye  of  God  and  the  gaze  of  angels  dwell 
oftenest. 

Attacked  by  the  joint  forces  of  the  Waseguhha  from  the 
west  and  north,  and  the  slave-traders  of  AVhintie  and  Sa'a  dani 
from  the  east,  the  Wadoc  have  seen  their  wives  and  little  ones 
carried  into  slavery  a  hundred  times.  And  their  courage  has 
not  prevented  the  more  powerful  allies  from  cutting  away  dis- 
trict after  district  from  their  country.  Their  superiority  was 
their  misfortune,  the  beauty  and  intelligence  of  their  women 
tempted  the  lustful  Arabs,  and  the  fertility  of  their  soil  tempted 
their  neighbors.  The  Arabs  found  it  easy  to  find  allies  in 
these  covetous  neighbors  for  their  slave-wars. 

Leaving  the  Wadoe,  Mr.  Stanley  journeyed  on,  through  Use- 
guhha,  whose  lords  have  come  into  their  titles  by  their  unholy 
alliance  with  the  traders.  Most  conspicuous  in  this  country 
was  the  stronghold  of  Kisabengo,  which  had  descended  to  his 
daughter  before  Mr.  Stanley's  visit.  The  Waseguhha  made 
their  appearance  at  every  village  armed  with  muskets  which 
had  been  the  reward  of  their  marauding  services.  With  this 
great  advantage  they  were  easily  the  scourge  of  that  part  of 
Africa.  Their  country  is  sterile  and  mountainous,  furnished 
with  gloomy  forests  and  inaccessible  passes,  just  such  a  region 
as  we  would  expect  to  foster  the  barbarous  instincts  of  its  rude 
inhabitants.  Journeying  through  this  region  the  traveller  may 
congratulate  himself  on  the  strength  of  his  escort,  and  he  will 
find  use  for  his  full  stock  of  patience  and  forbearance.  It  was 
pleasant  to  descend  from  these  inhospitable  hills  into  the  district 
of  Usgara,  among  a  people  reflecting  in  their  characters,  like 
those  of  Udoe,  the  gentler  scenery  which  surrounds  them. 
The  Wasagara  were  naturally  a  little  suspicious,  as  the  victims 
of  the  Arabs  and  their  associates  are  always,  but  they  soon  per- 
ceived that  the  white  man  was  of  different  spirit,  and  then  the 
excellences  of  their  character  were  readily  revealed,  and  they 
proved  themselves  a  frank,  amiable,  and  brave  people.  "  The 
Wasagara,  male  and  female,  tattoo  the  forehead,  bosom,  and 
arms.  Besides  inserting  the  neck  of  a  gourd  in  each  ear,  which 
carries  his  little  store  of  tobacco  and  lime,  he  carries  quite  a 
.number  of  most  primitive  ornaments  around  his  neck,  such  as 


654  "a  handso-aie  youxg  savage." 

two  or  three  sno^v}'  cowrie  shells,  carved  pieces  of  wood,  a  small 
goats-horn,  some  medicine,  consecrated  by  the  medicine-man  of 
the  tribe,  a  fund  of  white  or  red  beads,  two  or  three  pierced 
Siingoraazzi  egg-beads,  or  a  string  of  copper,  and  sometimes  small 
brass  chains,  which  they  have  purchased  from  Arab  traders." 

"A  youthful  Wasagara,"  continues  Mr.  Stanley,  "  with  a 
faint  tinge  of  ochre  embrowning  the  dull  black  hue  of  his  face, 
with  four  or  five  bright  copper  coins  ranged  over  his  forehead, 
with  a  tiny  gourd's  neck  in  each  ear,  with  a  thousand  ringlets, 
well  greased  and  ornamented  with  bits  of  brass,  his  head  well 
thrown  back,  his  broad  chest  forward,  with  his  muscular  arms 
and  well-proportioned  limbs,  represents  the  beau-ideal  of  a 
handsome  young  African  savage." 

liittle  better  than  their  eastern  neighbors  are  the  Wagogo, 
whose  territory  joins  that  of  the  Wasagara  on  the  west.  It 
was  the  25th  day  of  IVfay  when  the  energetic  young  traveller 
entered  the  dangerous  land  of  Ugogo.  He  had  led  his  caravan 
two  hundred  and  seventy-eight  miles.  He  had  passed  through 
the  territories  of  the  Wakomi,  Wakwere,  Wadoe,  Wasegura, 
Wasagara,  and  AV^ohehe.  Had  crossed  the  rivers  Kingani, 
Ungerengere,  Little  ^Nlakata,  Great  Makata,  Rudewa,  and  Mu- 
kondokwa.  He  had  discovered  the  sources  of  the  Kingani, 
the  Wami,  and  the  IMukondokwa  rivers,  and  the  Lake  Ugombo. 
Two  horses  and  seventeen  donkeys  had  died ;  various  articles 
had  disappeared  under  the  pressure  of  circumstances  or  some- 
body. Several  pegazis  had  deserted,  some  had  died,  and  Farqu- 
har  had  been  left  behind  sick.  This  was  a  new  people,  unlike 
those  among  whom  he  had  been,  with  new  perils.  A  sterile 
plateau,  covered  by  the  most  clannish  and  covetous  extortioners. 

A  powerful  tribe,  possessing  remarkable  physical  and  mental 
development,  not  unlike  the  familiar  negro  type  in  general  ap- 
pearance, the  Wagogo  is  at  the  same  time  a  tribe  of  proud, 
ferocious  men,  looking  with  covetous  eye  on  the  goods  of  every 
traveller,  and  ready  on  the  slightest  occasion  to  proceed  to  any 
lengths' of  violence.  Among  these  people  Mr.  Stanley  was  sub- 
jected to  the  most  unreasonable  fines;  and  although  he  was 
well  furnished  with  rifles,  it  was  very  manifest  that  in  their  own 
fastnesses,  as  they  were,  and  swarming  in  such  vast  numbers, 
peace  was  well  bought  at  any  price.     The  villages  were  all  for- 


THE   WAGOGO  WARRIOR.  055 

tresses,  the  whole  population  Avas  habitually  equij)j)cd  for  ex- 
tremities. Speaking  of  his  experience  among  them,  Mr.  Stanley 
says : 

"As  we  passed  the  numerous  villages  and  perceived  the 
entire  face  of  the  country  to  be  one  vast  grain-field,  and  counted 
the  people  everywhere  in  groups,  by  scores  gazing  on  the  white 
man,  I  could  not  wonder  at  tlieir  extortionate  demands,  for  it 
was  evident  that  they  had  only  to  stretch  out  their  hands  and 
take  whatever  the  caravan  possessed ;  and  I  began  to  think 
better  of  them,  because,  knowing  well  their  strength,  they  did 
not  use  it  without  restraint." 

The  Wagogo  warrior  is  always  equipped ;  his  weapons  are 
a  bow,  a  sheaf  of  long,  murderous-looking  arrows,  pointed, 
pronged,  and  barbed ;  a  couple  of  light,  beautifully  made  asse- 
gois,  a  broad  sword-looking  spear,  with  a  blade  over  two  feet 
long;  a  battle-axe  and  a  knob  club.  He  carries  also  a  shield, 
painted  with  designs  in  black  and  white;  this  is  oval  shaped, 
and  made  of  the  rhinoceros,  elephant,  or  bull  hide.  The  vil- 
lages are  full  of  these  warriors.  It  was  weary,  anxious  march- 
ing, through  jungles  of  gum  and  thorns,  over  rugged  hills,  and 
across  scorching  plains,  with  such  neighbors.  Over  and  over 
he  was  saved  from  serious  trouble  by  the  wisdom  of  "  Speke's 
faithfuls,"  who  knew  well  the  habits  of  the  people.  But  vil- 
lanous  as  they  may  be,  the  Wagogo  believe  in  God  or  the  "  Sky 
Spirit,"  whom  they  call  Mulungu,  and  they  address  prayers  to 
him  when  their  parents  die.  Mr.  Stanley  records  a  conversation 
which  he  had  with  a  Magogo  trader,  which  may  be  interesting  as 
revealing  something  of  the  character  and  belief  of  the  tribe : 

S.  "  Who  do  you  suppose  made  your  parents?" 

T.  "  Why,  Mulungu,  white  man !  " 

S.  "  Well,  who  made  you  ?  " 

T.  "  If  God  made  my  father,  God  made  me,  didn't  he  ?  " 

S.  "Well,  that's  very  good.  Where  do  you  suppose  your 
father  is  gone  to,  now  that  he  is  dead  ?  " 

T.  "  The  dead  die,"  said  he,  solemnly,  '•  they  are  no  more. 
The  sultan  (chief)  dies;  he  becomes  nothing;  he  is  then  no 
better  than  a  dead  dog,  he  is  finished,  his  words  are  finished, 
there  are  no  more  words  from  him.  It  is  true,"  he  added,  see- 
ing a  smile  on  my  face,  "the  sultan  becomes  nothing.  He  who 
says  other  words  is  a  liar,  there ! " 


656  DEATH    AND    MATRIMONY. 

S.  "  But  then  he  is  a  very  great  man,  is  he  not  ?  " 

T.  "While  he  lives,  only;  after  death  he  goes  into  the  pit, 
and  there  is  no  more  to  be  said  of  him  than  of  any  other  man." 

S.  "  How  do  you  bury  a  Mgogo  ?  " 

T.  "  His  legs  are  tied  together ;  his  right  arm  to  his  body, 
and  his  left  put  under  his  head ;  he  is  then  rolled  on  his  left  side 
in  the  grave.  His  cloth  he  wore  during  his  life  is  spread  over 
him ;  we  put  the  earth  over  him,  and  put  thorn  bushes  over  it 
to  prevent  the  hyena  from  getting  at  him.  A  woman  is  put  on 
her  left  side,  in  a  grave  apart  from  the  man." 

S.  "What  do  you  do  with  a  sultan  (chief)  when  he  is 
dead?" 

T.  "  We  bury  him,  too,  of  course ;  only  he  is  buried  in  the 
middle  of  the  village,  and  we^  build  a  house  over  it.  Each  time 
they  kill  an  ox  they  kill  it  before  his  grave.  When  the  old 
sultan  dies  the  new  one  calls  for  an  ox  and  kills  it  before  his 
grave,  calling  on  Mulungu  to  witness  that  he  is  the  rightful 
sultan.     He  then  distributes  the  meat  in  his  father's  name." 

S.  "  Who  succeeds  the  sultan ?     Is  he  the  eldest  son?  " 

T.  "  Yes,  if  he  has  a  son  ;  if  childless,  the  great  chief  next 
to  him  in  rank.  The  msagira  is  the  next  to  the  sultan,  whose 
business  it  is  to  hear  the  cause  of  complaint  and  convey  it  to  the 
sultan,  who  through  the  sultan  dispenses  justice.  He  receives 
the  honga,  carries  it  to  the  sultan,  and  when  the  sultan  has 
taken  what  he  wishes  the  rest  goes  to  the  msagira.  The  chiefs 
are  called  manya-para ;  the  msagira  is  the  chief  manya-para." 

S.  "  How  do  the  Wagogo  marry  ?  " 

T.  "  Oh,  they  buy  their  women." 

S.  "  What  is  a  woman  worth  ?  " 

T.  "A  very  poor  man  can  buy  his  wife  from  her  father  for 
two  goats." 

S.  "How  much  has  the  sultan  got  to  pay?" 

T.  "He  has  got  to  pay  about  one  hundred  goats,  or  so  many 
cows,  or  so  many  sheep  and  goats,  to  his  bride's  father.  Of 
course  he  is  a  chief.  The  sultan  would  not  buy  a  common 
woman.  The  father's  consent  is  to  be  obtained,  and  the  cattle 
have  to  be  giv(Mi  up.  It  takes  many  days  to  finish  the  talk 
about  it.  All  the  family  and  the  friends  of  the  bride  have  to 
talk  about  it  before  she  leaves  her  father's  house." 


•  PENALTIES    AND    WITCHCEAFT.  657 

S.  "  III  cases  of  murder,  what  do  you  do  to  the  man  who 
kills  another?" 

T.  "  The  murderer  has  to  pay  fifty  cows.  If  he  is  too  poor 
to  pay,  the  sultan  gives  his  permission  to  the  murdered  man's 
friends  or  relatives  to  kill  him.  If  they  catch  him  they  tie  him 
to  a  tree  and  throw  si>ears  at  him,  one  at  a  time,  first ;  they  then 
spring  on  him,  cut  his  head  off,  then  his  arms  and  limbs  and 
scatter  them  about  the  country." 

S.  "  How  do  you  punish  a  thief  ?" 

T.  "  If  he  is  found  stealing  he  is  killed  at  once  and  nothing 
is  said  about  it.     Is  he  not  a  thief  ?" 

S.  "  But  suppose  you  do  not  know  who  the  thief  is  ?  " 

T.  "  If  a  man  is  brought  before  us  accused  of  stealing  we 
kill  a  chicken  :  if  the  entrails  are  white,  he  is  innocent ;  if  yellow, 
he  is  guilty." 

S.  "Do  you  believe  in  witchcraft?" 

T.  "  Of  course  we  do,  and  punish  the  man  with  death  Mdio 
bewitches  cattle  or  stops  rain." 

There  was  very  little  temptation  to  loiter  in  Ugogo,  and  all 
possible  expedition  was  used  in  passing  through  it.  Mr,  Stan- 
ley was  exceedingly  anxious  to  reach  Unyanyembe.  He  had 
already  picked  up  bits  of  information  which  encouraged  him  to 
hope  that  he  might  soon  be  able  to  report  the  success  of  his 
mission.  Early  in  April,  while  on  the  banks  of  the  Unger- 
eiigere,  he  had  met  one  Salim  bin  Rasheed,  who  said,  "  I  saw 
the  musungu  (white  man),  who  came  up  from  the  Nyassa  a 
long  time  ago,  at  Ujiji  last  year.  He  lived  in  the  next  tembe 
to  me.  He  has  a  long  white  moustache  and  beard.  He  was 
tlien  about  going  to  Marungu  and  Uniema." 

On  the  18th  of  May  Sheikh  Abdullah  bin  Wasif  had  called 
at  his  camp  at  Mpwapwa  and  told  him  "the  musungu  has  gone 
to  Manyuema,  a  month's  march  from  Ujiji.  He  has  met  a  bad 
accident,  having  shot  himself  in  the  thigh  while  out  hunting 
buffaloes.  When  he  gets  well  he  will  return  to  Ujiji.."  Stimu- 
lated by  these  reports  every  energy  was  exerted,  and  on  the 
thirtieth  day  after  entering  Ugogo  Mr.  Stanley  was  in  Unyan- 
yembe, at  the  village  of  Kwihara. 

He  had  been  singularly  successful  thus  far,  and  though  he 
had  been  pretty  thoroughly  initiated  into  the  vicissitudes  of 


658 

African  travel,  and  had  had  some  severe  touches  of  the  ills 
which  every  stranger  who  penetrates  these  wilds  must  count 
on,  he  stood  in  Unyanyembe  in  good  spirits,  and  sanguine  of 
success.  ^More  than  once.  Providence  seemed  to  have  interposed 
for  him ;  not  only  had  he  been  sustained  in  severe  illness,  and 
saved  from  encounters  with  the  natives,  who  so  frequently 
seemed  to  be  set  on  an  attack  :  there  had  been  particular  per- 
sonal dangers;  several  times  his  men  had  threatened  mutiny. 
Once  particularly,  he  was  graciously  preserved.  The  two  white 
men  whom  he  had  employed  had  become  exceedingly  disa- 
greeable; they  were  utterly  worthless,  but  the  presence  of  white 
faces  and  English-speaking  tongues  was  a  great  relief  in  the 
midst  of  so  much  degradation.  Mr.  Stanley  continued  the 
kindest  treatment;  but  on  the  morning  of  the  15th  of  May, 
while  troubles  were  in  full  force,  when  these  two  men  were  in- 
vited to  breakfast  as  usual,  it  was  evident,  from  their  surly 
greeting,  that  something  was  the  matter.  Stanley  had  overheard 
them  a  short  time  before  in  loud  and  angry  conversation,  and 
now  their  countenances  and  manner  convinced  him  that  their 
rage  was  against  him. 

"Breakfast  was  brought  on,  consisting  of  a  roast  quarter  of 
goat,  stewed  liver,  sweet  potatoes,  hot  pancakes,  and  coffee." 
And  turning  to  Shaw,  INIr.  Stanley  requested  him  to  carve  and 
help  Farquhar.  This  seemed  to  be  the  signal  for  a  rupture, 
and  Shaw  replied,  in  the  most  insulting  manner,  "What  dog's 
meat  is  this "?  " 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  asked  Stanley.  W^hereupon  Shaw 
broke  out  in  a  rage  of  abuse.  He  would  hear  no  remonstrance, 
he  was  absolutely  insensible  to  all  reason,  and  persisted  in  his 
rudeness  until  Mr.  Stanley  knocked  him  down.  W'lien  he  arose 
he  demanded  a  discharge  from  the  company,  and  Stanley  im- 
mediately ordered  his  things  ail  to  be  put  down  outside  of  the 
camp,  and  told  him  to  go.  It  would  have  been  better  if  Stan- 
ley had  not  revoke<l  this  decision ;  but  that  very  night  Shaw 
sent  in  such  humble  messages  that  he  was  allowed  to  return. 
That  little  bit  of  clemency  came  near  being  the  ruin  of  the 
expedition. 

The  man  came  back  with  expressions  of  deep  repentance,  as- 
suring Stanley  that  he  should  never  have  occasion  to  find  fault 


SHOOTING    IN    SLEEP  (?)  G59 

with  liiiii  again,  aiul  was  received  with  absolute  confidence. 
That  very  night,  as  Mr.  Stanley  was  about  falling  asleep,  he 
heard  a  shot,  and  a  bullet  tore  through  his  tent,  only  a  few 
inches  above  his  body.  Snatching  up  his  revolvers  he  rushed 
out  of  the  tent,  and  asked  the  men  around  the  watch-fires, ''  Wlio 
shot?"     Tliey  had  all  jumped  up,  startled  by  the  report. 

"Who  fired  that  gun?"  "Bana  Mdogo "  (little  master), 
said  one  of  the  men.  This  was  the  title  by  which  Shaw  was 
known.  Lighting  a  candle,  Stanley  walked  Avith  it  to  Shaw's 
tent,  and  after  calling  him  several  times  succeeded  in  getting 
a  resj)onse.  Faining  to  be  half  asleep,  Shaw  said,  "  Eh — eh, 
fire,  me  fire  did  you  say  ?  I've  been  asleep."  But  his  gun  was 
lying  by  him.  Stanley  put  his  hand  on  it,  the  barrel  was  still 
warm,  and  the  mark  of  fresh-burnt  powder  was  on  his  hand. 
The  man  then  tried  to  excuse  himself  by  saying  that  he  had 
been  dreaming,  and  thought  that  he  was  shooting  a  robber. 
There  could  be  no  doubt  in  Mr.  Stanley's  mind  that  this  was  a 
deliberate  attempt  to  murder  him.  Looking  back  over  the  way 
he  had  besu  led,  he  felt  constrained  to  thank  God  for  his 
goodness ;  and  is  it  not  a  notable  coincidence  that,  at  almost  the 
same  hour  in  which  the  Banian  slaves  were  plotting  for  the 
destruction  of  Dr.  Livingstone,  a  similar  peril  should  have 
been  impending  the  life  of  Mr.  Stanley? — and  both  were 
spared.  Surely  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  same  watchful 
eye  was  over  them  both,  and  that  the  same  Providence  Avhich 
revealed  the  wicked  purposes  of  the  Banians  disappointed  the 
murderous  intention  of  the  white  man. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

UNYANYEMBE. 

Traditions  of  Unyamwezi— The  Appearance  of  the  Country— The  Soil—"  Fairy 
Mounts" — Villages — The  Wanyarawezi  —  Sons  of  Ham  —  Lovers  of  Music 
—Maiden  Fondness  for  Display —  Tea- Parties  — :Matron]y  Gossip  — The 
Club-Rooms — Masculine  Vanity — Home  Life  in  Unyamwezi — The  Houses — 
The  Furniture  —  Dining  Hall — "Sweet  Earth" — Popular  Prejudices — Food 
of  Wanyamwezi  —  Family  Affection — Woman's  Rights  —  Love  and  Law— 
Wanyamwezi,  their  Prominence— Great  Travellers— The  "Carriers"  of  Ea,«t 
Africa — Varying  Character — Unyanyembe  Central  Province— Arab  Settlement 
— Mr.  Stanley's  Reception — Sayd  bin  Salim — Stanley's  House— Muniticent 
Hosjiitality — Visitors  from  Tabora — Tabora  Village — Arab  Luxury— Promi- 
nent Arabs  of  Tabora— Mr.  Stanley  Visits  Tabora — The  Council  of  War — 
Mirambo — An  Unhappy  Alliance — Sickness— Climate  of  Unyanyembe — The 
Battle  Array — Disaster  and  Retreat— Glad  to  Quit — Tables  Turned — The 
"Flying  Caravan" — A  Weeping  Lover — On  the  March  Again — Maugara — 
Grand  Reception  of  Chiefs— A  Jolly  Time— The  Ammonia  Bottle  Uncorked — 
An  Impression  Made — Splendid  Game-Park — Two  Days'  Hunting — Trouble  in 
Cami>— A  Revolt— A  Dreadful  Plot— The  Pledge— Mrera. 

It  may  Interest  the  curious  to  examine  tlie  evidences  oi  the 
grandeur  of  Unyamwezi  in  the  days  that  traditions  tell  of, 
when  the  various  provinces  were  united  under  one  great  chief- 
tain. But  the  modern  traveller,  intent  on  mysteries  concealed 
in  remoter  regions,  or  reaching  eagerly  forward  under  the 
urgent  pressure  of  some  special  mission,  has  hardly  time  for 
patient  investigation  of  the  thousand  hints  from  which  all  con- 
clusions concerning  early  African  hi.story  must  be  drawn.  It 
seems  more  important  that  the  country  be  known  as  it  is,  befoi-e 
we  become  absorbed  in  inquiry  about  what  it  has  been.  The 
Unyamwezi  of  our  time  comprises  a  number  of  petty  provinces, 
each  acknowledging  its  own  tyrant,  whose  authority  is  confined 
within  a  circumference  of  a  few  miles.  The  country  is  described 
as  lying  between  the  barren,  red,  glaring  regions  of  Ugogo  and 
the  dark,  monotonous  verdure  of  the  more  western  provinces, 
like  a  garden. 

Lines  of  low  conical  and  tabular  hills  wind  about  irregularly 
660 


APPEARANCE  OF    UXYAMWEZI.  GGl 

on  the  general  nnrlnlation.  There  are  no  mountains.  "The 
superjacent  stratum  is  clay,  overlying  the  sandstone,  based  upon 
various  granites,  which  in  some  places  crop  out,  picturesquely 
disposed  in  blocks  and  bouldei-s  and  huge  domes  and  lumpy 
masses;  ironstone  is  met  with  at  a  depth  varying  from  five  to 
twelve  i'cct,  and  bits  of  coarse  ore  have  been  found  in  Unyan- 
yembe  by  digging  not  more  than  four  feet  in  a  cliance  spot. 
During  the  rains  the  grass  conceiils  the  soil,  but  in  the  dry  sea- 
sons the  land  is  gray,  lighted  up  by  golden  stubbles,  and  dotted 
■with  wind-distorted  trees,  shallow  swamps  of  emerald  grass,  and 
wide  streets  of  dark  mud.  Dwarfed  stiunps  and  charred  '  black 
jacks'  deform  the  fields,  which  are  sometimes  ditched  or  hedged 
in,  whilst  a  thin  forest  of  parachute-shaped  thorns  diversifies  the 
waves  of  rolling  land  and  earth  hills,  sjwtted  with  sunburnt 
stone.  The  reclaimed  tracts  and  clearings  are  divided  from  one 
another  by  strips  of  primeval  jungle,  varying  from  two  to 
twelve  miles  in  length,  and,  as  in  other  parts  of  Africa,  the 
country  is  dotted  with  '  fairy  mounts  ' — dwarf  mounds — the 
ancient  sites  of  trees  now  crumbled  to  dust,  and  the  debris  of 
insect  architecture.  Villages,  the  glory  of  all  African  tribes, 
are  seen  at  short  intervals  rising  only  a  little  above  their  im- 
pervious walls  of  lustrous  green  milk-bush,  with  its  coral-shaped 
arms,  variegating  the  well-hoed  plains;  whilst  in  the  pasture 
lands  herds  of  many-colored  cattle,  plump,  round-barrelled  and 
high-humped,  like  Indian  breeds,  and  mingled  flocks  of  goats 
and  sheep,  dispersed  over  the  landscape,  suggest  ideas  of  bar- 
barous comfort  and  plenty." 

The  proprietors  of  this  soil  are  the  typical  race  in  this  por- 
tion of  central  Africa;  and  their  comparative  industry  and 
commercial  activity  have  secured  them  a  conspicuous  superiority 
among  the  tribes. 

They  are  generally  splendid  specimens  of  the  genus  homo,  so 
far  jis  physical  proportions  make  it  up  ;  tall  and  manly-looking, 
and  endowed  with  remarkable  strength  and  powers  of  en- 
durance. But  they  are  genuine  sons  of  Hani  notwithstanding; 
the  deep  brown  hue  and  negroid  features  are  unquestionable, 
even  if  they  were  unsustained  by  the  characteristic  effluvium, 
which  no  ablutions  can  prevent,  and  if  their  cranial  coverings 
were  less  conspicuous.     Like  all  negroes  they  are  great  lovers 


662  FONDNESS   FOR   DISPLAY. 

of  music,  and  among  them  there  are  artists  who,  in  spite  of  the 
barbarous  monotony  of  their  strains,  furnish  real  auiusement. 
Many  of  these  individuals  are  great  improvisators,  and  delight 
to  weave  the  latest  political  news  or  j>ersonal  scandal  into  their 
merry  songs. 

The  national  love  of  ornament  also  prevails  in  all  its  extrava- 
gance. *'  From  the  hour  that  a  maiden  begins  to  call  for 
mamma,"  says  Mr.  Stanley,  "  her  ornaments  are  her  constant 
solicitude.  She  loves  to  look  at  the  pretty  wristlets  of  red, 
yellow,  white,  and  green  beads  which  rest  upon  her  dark  skin 
in  such  contrast;  she  loves  to  twine  her  fingers  through  the 
lengthy  necklaces  of  variegated  beads,  or  to  play  with  the  bead 
Ixilt  that  encompasses  her  waist ;  she  even  sets  them  in  her  hair 
and  loves  to  be  told  that  they  become  her  (as  what  maiden  does 
not?)  It  is  a  pleasure  with  her  to  possess  a  spiral  wire  cinc- 
ture even  though  she  possesses  no  garment  to  be  supported  by 
it.  She  awaits  with  impatience  the  day  when  she  can  be  mar- 
ried, and  have  a  cloth  to  fold  around  her  body — until  she  can 
have  authority  to  dispose  of  her  fowls  for  the  cheap  tinsel  sold 
by  Arab  merchants."  The  grave  matrons,  too,  display  disposi- 
tions quite  as  comprehensible  to  the  ladies  of  more  enlightened 
lands  as  is  this  craving  of  the  maidens  for  wealth  of  ornament. 
Perhaps  there  is  nothing  more  matronly  than  the  propensity 
which  has  its  fullest  indulgence  in  those  evening  gatherings  of 
world-wide  reputation  as  tea-parties,  and,  unquestionably,  the 
benevolent  champions  of  female  contentment  will  hail  with  de- 
light the  testimony  of  an  eye-witness,  that  he  had  "never  beheld 
anything  so  approaching  to  happiness  and  perfect  contentment 
as  the  faces  of  the  old  and  young  women  of  Unyamwezi  as  they 
gathered  at  sunset  from  the  various  houses  to  sit  and  chat  to- 
gether about  the  events  of  the  day  or  those  trite  subjects  of 
universal  interest  in  such  circles.  ^  It  is  a  scene  for  the  artist. 
Each  female  has  her  short  stool  and  her  growing  daughter  by 
her  side,  who,  while  her  mother  chats  and  smokes  with  radiant 
face,  employs  her  nimble  hands  in  converting  her  parent's  woolly 
locks  into  a  series  of  ])laits  and  ringlets.  The  elder  females 
particularly,  squatted  in  a  circle,  begin  to  recite  their  experiences, 
chattering  away  like  swallows,  or  like  ladies  elsewhere:  one 
tells  how  her  cow  luis  stopped  giving  milk ;  another  how  well 


EVENING   PARTIES.  G63 

she  has  sold  her  milk  to  the  white  man  ;  another  of  what  hap- 
pened in  the  field  while  she  was  hoeing ;  another  how  her  mas- 
ter has  not  yet  returned  from  the  capital,  whither  he  has  gone 
to  sell  grain."  Pie  does  not  say  that  they  invade  the  sacredness 
of  their  neighbor's  affairs,  or  retail  magnified  stories  of  another's 
peccadilloes ;  possibly  he  wrote  charitably,  possibly  he  was  im- 
I^erfectly  informed,  possibly  those  things  were  said  in  an  under- 
tone, and  possibly  slander  is  an  accomplishment  of  civilization ; 
all  things  are  possible. 

But  the  weaker  sex  cannot  boast  a  raonoiwly  of  vanity  or 
social  gossip  in  Unyamwezi  any  more  than  they  can  elsewhere. 
The  most  elaborate  impersonation  of  civilized  foppishness,  whose 
unctuous  locks  and  waxened  labial  down  have  taxed  the  skill 
of  masters  in  the  tonsorial  art,  would  grind  his  teeth  in  envy  at 
the  sight  of  one  of  those  tall  dusky  odoriferous  gallants  of  Un- 
yamwezi tossing  his  proud  head,  adorned  with  a  fringe  of  jetty 
woolly  ringlets.  And  every  village  has  its  public  room  which 
corresponds  to  the  popular  club-rooms  of  nearer  regions,  a  sort 
of  gentlemen's  "  gossip  institute,"  where  "  things  in  general " 
are  discussed  with  startling  acumen,  as  men  are  wont  to  discuss 
"things  in  general"  in  civilized  communities.  During  idle 
times,  and  it  is  seldom  there  are  busy  times,  they  smoke  (what 
would  a  club-room  be  without  smoke  ?)  and  sit  on  their  heels — 
they  have  not  learned  the  art  of  putting  them  above  their  heads 
yet:  civilization  will  modify  their  use  of  these  members — th<;y 
sit  on  their  heels  now  and  smoke  in  idle  times,  and  discuss  the 
same  matters  perhaps  as  have  occupied  their  wives  and  daugh- 
ters. While  they  talk  one  sharpens  his  spear-head,  another 
makes  an  axe-helve,  or  decorates  his  sword.  They  talk  politics, 
men  would  die  if  they  didn't,  and  the  daily  news :  that  too  is 
manly.  But  the  witness  does  not  hint  that  they  so  far  for^  ~t 
themselves  as  to  descant  on  the  improprieties  of  Mrs.  this,  or 
Miss  that,  or  chuckle  over  the  misfortunes  of  Neighbor  some- 
body. Civilization  seems  to  have  a  monopoly  of  that  sort  of 
thing. 

The  home  life  of  these  people  is  to  be  found  in  the  tembe. 

Among  the  poorer  tribes  this  dwelling  is  only  a  stack  of  straw, 

but  the  better  sort  of  terabe  has  large  projecting  eaves  supported 

by  uprights.     "  Having  no  limestone,  the  people  ornament  the 

34 


664  HOME    LIFE   IN    UNYAMWEZI. 

inner  and  outer  walls  of  these  abodes  with  long  lines  of  ovals, 
formed  by  pressing  the  tips  of  the  fingers,  after  dipping  them 
into  ashes  and  water  for  whitewash,  and  into  red  clay  or  black 
mud  for  variety  of  color.  With  this  primitive  material  they 
sometimes,  also,  attempt  rude  imitations  of  nature — of  human 
beings  and  serpents.  Rude  carving  is  also  attempted  on  the 
massive  posts  at  the  entrance  of  the  villages.  Within,  the 
])rinoipal  article,  which  by  its  remarkable  dimensions  attracts 
attention,  is  the  bedstead.  This  essential  of  family  life  consists 
of  peeled  tree-branches,  supported  by  forked  sticks,  provided 
with  a  bedding  of  mats  and  cowhide,  and  occupies  the  greater 
portion  of  the  room.  There  is  a  triangle  of  clay  cones  forming 
a  hearth  ;  this  is  generally  placed  nearly  opposite  the  door.  Of 
other  things,  there  are  corn-bins,  gourds,  band-boxes,  earthen 
pots,  huge  ladles,  pipes,  grass  mats,  grinding-stones,  and  hang- 
ing on  a  branching  tree-trunk,  standing  in  one  corner,  may  be 
seen  the  arms  of  the  men." 

The  family  dining-hall,  so  pleasantly  associated  with  the 
visions  which  float  around  the  traveller,  is  not  an  institution  of 
Unyamwezi.  There  is  hardly  a  better  index  of  social  advance- 
ment than  is  furnished  in  the  manner  of  eating.  In  Unyam- 
wezi the  males  and  females  do  not  eat  together;  even  the  boys 
disdain  to  be  seen  sitting  at  meat  with  their  mothers.  The 
men  generally  take  their  food  in  their  wanza,  or  "club-room." 
They  are  better  satisfied  if  they  have  two  meals  a  day,  but  they 
are  frequently  necessitated  to  be  content  with  one,  and  employ 
the  interim  between  meals,  or  between  sleep  and  food,  in  chew- 
ing tobacco  when  they  have  it,  and  in  the  event  of  its  failure 
resorting  to  clay  for  the  necessary  exercise  of  their  jaws.  For 
this  purpose  they  select  the  clay  of  ant-hills,  which  they  call 
"sweet  earth."  This  clay-chewing,  indeed,  is  a  custom  quite 
generally  prevalent  on  both  coasts  of  Africa.  The  clay  quid 
"  takes  the  place  of  the  mastic  of  Chios,  the  kat  of  Yemen,  the 
betel  and  toasted  grain  of  India  and  the  farther  East,  and  the 
ashes  of  the  Somali  country." 

As  we  might  expect,  the  Wanyamwezi  are  not  free  from  those 
prejudices  in  the  matter  of  food  which  are  so  generally  dis- 
covered among  savages;  but  their  prejudice  has  not  been  re- 
duced to  a  system,  as  amongst  the   tribes   of  central   Africa. 


THE   FOOD   IN   UNYAMWEZI.  665 

Before  their  closer  intercourse  with  the  Arabs  they  kept  poultry, 
but  like  the  Gallas  and  the  Somali,  who  look  on  the  fowl  as  a 
kind  of  vulture,  they  would  not  eat  it.  Even  in  the  present 
day  they  retain  their  prejudice  for  eggs.  Some  will  devour 
animals  that  have  died  of  disease,  and  carrion,  the  flesh  of  lions 
and  leopards,  elephants  and  rhinoceroses,  asses,  Avild  cats  and 
rats,  beetles  and  white  ants;  while  others  refuse  to  touch  mut- 
ton or  clean  water-fowl,  declaring  it  is  not  their  custom.  They 
seldom  eat  meat;  their  ordinary  diet  consists  of  the  messes 
common  in  central  Africa,  a  sort  of  porridge  made  from  flour 
of  matama — the  Holcus  sorghum,  or  Arabic  dourra.  This  is 
accompanied  with  leaves  of  tiie  garden  plants,  such  as  the  bean 
and  cucumber,  boiled  and  mashed  up.  When  this  humble  meal 
is  cooked  the  gentlemen  (?)  assemble  around  the  pot  and  pro- 
ceed to  the  delightful  duty  of  cramming  themselves,  in  which 
exercise  the  only  implement  employed  is  nature's  ladle.  In  the 
season  for  it,  these  mush-fed  children  luxuriate  on  honey  and 
sour  milk,  but  no  matter  what  they  eat  or  how  much,  the 
Wanyamwezi  never  own  repletion  until  they  have  "sat  on 
pombe "  or,  in  other  words,  until  they  are  pretty  thoroughly 
intoxicated. 

There  is  very  little  community  of  interest,  and  apparently 
a  great  lack  of  family  affection  in  these  tribes.  The  husband 
when  returning  from  the  coast  laden  with  cloth  will  refuse  a 
single  shukkah  to  his  wife,  and  the^wife  succeeding  to  an  in- 
heritance will  abandon  her  husband  to  starvation.  The  man 
takes  charge  of  the  cattle,  sheep,  goats,  and  jx)ultry ;  the  woman 
has  control  of  the  vegetables  and  grain.  It  seems  a  little  re- 
markable we  observe  in  savage  life,  in  rude  realization,  so  many 
of  the  pet  projects  of  certain  noisy  would-be  leaders  of  an  ad- 
vanced civilization.  It  is  hardly  a  question  whether  it  is  pro- 
gress or  retrogression  that  must  be  relied  on  to  restore  the 
balance  between  the  sexes  and  grant  to  woman  the  disenthral- 
ment  in  which  she  may  call  what  is  hers,  her  own.  It  is  a 
pity  that  there  are  so  many  who  are'  forward  to  set  aside  the 
assertion  that  dependence  is  the  charm  of  woman  and  her  title 
to  all  things.  It  is  to  be  lamented  that  so  much  is  said  about 
the  distinctive  rights  and  obligations  of  the  sexes.  It  ought  to 
be  remembered  that  the  true  happiness  of  man  and  woman  is 


G6G  LOVE    AXD    LAW. 

in  their  identity,  and  it  should  not  be  forgotten  that  there  is 
nothing  that  hinders  a  coalescence  of  hearts  more  effectually 
than  a  clamorous  assertion  of  rights.  The  world  will  rue  the 
day  which  adopts  a  code  defining  the  relative  dignity  of  man 
and  woman.  Love  is  not  unlawful,  but  legislation  is  the  death 
of  it.  There  are  rights  in  love,  but  no  knowledge  of  them. 
The  spontaneity  of  all  its  offerings  and  concessions  is  their 
beauty  and  blissfulness.  Distinctions  patronize  discord;  where 
there  are  boundaries  there  are  conflicts ;  there  cannot  be  a  line 
drawn  between  man  and  woman  which  does  not  sever  the  magic 
bond  of  their  union.  Wives  and  mothers  and  daughters  and 
sisters  cannot  afford  to  have  their  guardianship  transferred  from 
love  to  law.  The  sun  of  human  hap})iness  will  have  passed  its 
meridian,  and  a  polished  barbarism,  that  dotage  of  civilization, 
will  be  coming  on,  when  human  folly  allows  checks  and  balances 
to  take  the  place  of  free-acting  love  in  the  relations  of  husband 
and  wife.  We  must  not  forget  that  the  peculiar  glory  of  civili- 
zation is  in  that  beautiful  and  joyous  identity  of  the  sexes 
which  finds  its  prettiest  type  in  the  vine-entwined  oak. 

The  Wanyamwezi  have  won  for  themselves  quite  a  reputation 
by  their  commercial  industry.  They  are  the  professional  por- 
ters of  East  Africa.  From  days  immemorial  they  have  monopo- 
lized the  carrying  business.  They  are  everything  to  the  traveller, 
they  take  the  place  of  camels,  horses,  mules,  and  a&ses.  They 
are  indispensable  to  the  traders  and  travellers.  They  are  gen- 
erally found  in  the  various  coast  villages  waiting  to  be  hired  for 
long  journeys.  "  These  are  the  people  whom  we  have  seen 
among  the  hills  of  Itawa,  in  the  forests  of  Lunda,  on  the  banks 
of  the  Lualaba,  in  the  wilds  of  Manyuema,  on  the  banks  of  all 
the  lakes — who  are  found  in  the  mountains  of  Karangwah,  on 
the  pl^ains  of  Uvinza,  on  the  barren  plateau  of  Ugogo,  in  the 
park  lands  of  Ukonongo,  in  the  swam])s  of  Useguhha,  in  the 
defiles  of  Usegara,  in  the  wilderness  of  Uliena,  among  the  pas- 
toral tribes  of  the  Watnta,  trudging  along  the  banks  of  the 
Rofugi,  and  in  slave-trading  Kilwa,  everywhere;  weighted  with 
the  bales  of  Zanzibar,  containing  cottons  and  domestics  from 
Massachusetts,  calicoes  from  England,  prints  from  ISInscat, 
cloths  from  Cutcii,  beads  from  (jiermany,  and  brass  wire  from 
Great  Britain.     In  caravans  they  are  docile  and  tractable,  on 


UNYANYEMBE   PROVINCE.  667 

trading  expeditions  of  their  own  they  are  keen  and  clever ;  in 
their  villages  they  are  a  merry-making  set.  As  Ruga  Iluga 
or  forest  men,  the  Wanyamwezi  are  unscrupulous  and  bold  ;  in 
Ukonongo  and  Ukawendi  they  are  hunters  ;  in  Usukuma  they 
are  drovers  and  iron-smelters;  in  Lunda  they  are  energetic 
searchers  for  ivory ;  on  the  coast  they  arc  a  wondering,  awe- 
struck people." 

These  are  the  people  in  whose  middle  province  Mr.  Stanley 
took  up  his  quarters  the  21st  of  June,  1871.  "Unyanyembe 
is  the  great  Bandari  or  meeting-place  of  merchants,  and  point 
of  departure  for  ciiravans,  which  thence  radiate  into  the  interior 
of  central  intertropical  Africa.  Here  the  Arab  merchant  from 
Zanzibar  meets  his  compatriot  returning  from  the  Tanganyika 
lake  and  from  Uruwwa.  Northwards,  well-travelled  lines  di- 
verge to  the  Nyanza  lake,  and  the  powerful  kingdoms  of  Kara- 
gwah,  Uganda,  and  Unyoro ;  from  the  south,  Urori  and  Ubena, 
Usanga  and  Usenga,  send  their  ivory  and  slaves ;  and  from  the 
southwest,  the  Rukwa  Water,  K'hokoro,  Ufipa,  and  Marungu 
must  barter  their  valuables  for  cotton,  wires,  and  beads." 

"  This  province  was  colonized,"  according  to  Burton,  "  about 
1852,  when  the  Arabs,  who  had  been  settled  some  years  in  a 
district  of  Usukuma,  having  become  involved  in  one  of  the 
native  wars  were  compelled  to  change  their  home.  Snay  bin 
Amir  and  Musa  Mzuri,  the  Indian,  settled  at  Kazeh,  then  a 
desert;  built  houses,  sunk  wells,  and  converted  it  into  a  popu- 
lous place." 

It  is  well  to  remark,  that  the  reader  may  not  be  confused  by 
the  names  which  seem  to  be  used  interchangeably  with  Unyan- 
yembe, that  this  district  is  not  properly  a  town,  but  a  district 
containing  a  number  of  villages  all  very  near  each  other,  where 
the  Arabs  have  their  great  tembe,  surrounded  by  the  humbler 
abodes  of  their  servants  and  dependents,  and  lead  lives  of 
comfort  and  even  splendor,  and  take  great  pride  in  welcoming 
travellers  with  astonishing  display.  When  Mr.  Stanley  came 
on  the  ground  he  was  received  with  great  cordiality  by  Sayd 
bin  Salim,  whom  favoring  fortune  had  favored,  since  the  time  of 
Burton  and  Speke's  visit,  from  the  station  of  servant  to  wealth 
and  prominence.  Sayd  bin  Salim  had  his  spacious  tombe  in 
Kwikuru,  the  capital  village  of  the  province. 


668  STANLEY  S   HOUSE. 

As  the  visitor  walked  beside  the  governor  toward  Kwikuru  he 
"  received  a  noiseless  ovation."  The  Wanyamwezi  pagazi  were 
out  by  hundreds,  and  the  warriors  of  old  Mkasiwa  hovered 
about  their  chief;  the  naked,  dusky  children  standing  between 
their  parents'  legs,  even  infants  slung  over  their  mothers'  backs, 
all  paid  the  tribute  due  to  his  color  in  one  grand  concentrated 
stare.  Having  been  hospitably  refreshed  with  a  breakfast  which 
went  as  far  as  any  breakfast  could  have  done  towards  making 
him  forget  that  he  was  in  the  wilds  of  Africa,  and  quite  a  con- 
versation with  the  lordly  Sayd,  he  was  escorted  by  that  digni- 
tary to  Kwihara,  where  his  house  had  been  provided.  Gathered 
about  the  door  of  the  tern  be  he  found  the  men  of  his  expedition. 
They  had  stacked  their  bales,  and  piled  their  boxes,  and  the 
members  of  the  different  caravans  were  using  their  tongues  with 
marvellous  energy,  exchanging  with  each  other  the  incidents  of 
their  journey. 

Some  delay  is  always  expected  at  Unyanyembe,  and  porters, 
whether  hired  upon  the  coast  or  on  Tanganyika  lake,  are  ac- 
customed to  disperse  there,  and  a  fresh  gang  must  be  collected. 
Mr.  Stanley's  first  duty,  therefore,  was  to  receive  the  reports  of 
the  leaders  of  his  caravans,  and  bestow  such  rewards  or  make 
such  payments  as  occasion  required,  and  the  crowd  scattered 
and  left  him  with  his  little  band  of  special  followers  to  take 
possession  of  his  new  quarters,  which  he  declares  was  a  "most 
comfortable  place."  There  were  quarters  for  his  men  and  for 
himself;  sitting-room,  bed-room,  bath-room,  cook-house,  store- 
house, prison,  etc.,  etc.  He  had  hardly  accomplished  the  dis- 
position of  his  goods  in  spaces  designed  for  them,  and  paid  off 
his  carriers,  and  begun  to  realize  that  he  might  under  proper 
circumstances  have  an  appetite,  when  in  came  several  slaves  in 
succession,  "  bearing  trayfj,  full  of  good  things  from  the  Arabs: 
first,  an  enormous  dish  of  rice,  with  a  bowlful  of  curried  chicken ; 
another  with  a  dozen  huge  wheaten  cakes,  another  with  a  j^late- 
ful  of  smoking  hot  crullers,  another  with  papaws,  another  with 
pomegranates  and  lemons;  after  these  came  men  driving  five 
fat  hump-backed  oxen,  eight  sheep,  and  ten  goats,  and  anotiier 
man  came  with  a  dozen  chickens  and  a  dozen  fresh  eggs."  No 
wonder  he  was  taken  by  storm,  witli  such  real,  practical,  noble 
courtesy,  such  nmnificent  hospitality  ;  and  we  are  prepared  to 


THE   ARABS   OF   TABORA.  CG9 

accredit  his  assurance,  that  his  people  were  as  mucli  delighted 
as  iiimself  at  the  prodigal  plenitude  visible  on  his  table,  and  in 
his  yard.  A  slaughtered  ox  and  a  feast  wound  up  the  ceremony 
of  settlement,  and  all  hands  turned  in  to  sweeter  rest  than  they. 
had  known  for  many  days. 

The  next  day  the  Arab  magnates  from  Tabora  came  on  a 
formal  visit.  Tabora  is  the  place  mentioned  by  Captain  Burton 
as  Kazeh,  the  first  Arab  settlement  in  Unyanyembe.  It  is  the 
principal  settlement  in  the  country.  "  It  contains,"  according 
to  Mr.  Stanley's  estimate,  "  over  a  thousand  huts  and  tembes, 
and  one  may  safely  estimate  the  population,  Arabs,  Wangwana 
and  natives,  at  five  thousand  people."  Between  Tabora  and 
Kwihara,  where  Mr.  Stanley  had  his  quarters,  rise  two  rugged 
hill-ridges,  separated  from  each  other  by  a  low  saddle,  over  the 
top  of  which  Tabora  is  always  visible  from  Kwihara. 

It  is  astonishing  what  luxury  is  conveyed  into  the  heart  of 
Africa  by  these  Arab  merchant  princes.  The  fertile  plain  about 
their  villages,  kept  in  the  highest  state  of  cultivation,  yields 
marvellous  abundance  and  endless  variety  of  vegetables,  and 
supports  vast  herds  of  cattle,  and  sheep  and  goats  innumerable; 
while  just  about  the  tembes  the  orange,  lemon,  papaws  and 
mangoes  may  be  seen  thriving  finely.  Add  to  these  the  tea, 
coffee,  sugar,  spices,  jellies,  curries,  wine,  brandy,  biscuits,  sar- 
dines, salmon,  and  such  fine  cloths  as  they  need  for  their  own 
use,  brought  from  the  coast  every  year  by  their  slaves ;  associate 
these  with  a  wealth  of  Persian  carpets,  most  luxurious  bedding, 
complete  services  of  silver  for  tea  and  coffee,  with  magnificently 
carved  dishes  of  tinned  copper  and  brass  lavers  ;  and  we  have  a 
catalogue  out  of  which  our  imagination  produces  pictures  of 
luxury  that,  amid  the  wildness  and  rudeness  of  that  barbarous 
land,  seem  more  like  the  magician's  work  than  tangible  realities, 
which  await  the  worn-out  traveller  across  six  hundred  miles  of 
plains  and  mountains  and  rivers  and  swamps,  where  a  succession 
of  naked,  staring^  menacing  savages  throng  the  path  in  wonder 
at  a  white  face. 

The  representatives  of  this  splendid  living,  who  had  called  to 
pay  their  respects  to  Mr.  Stanley,  were  the  donors  of  the  gifts 
which  had  surprised  him  on  the  day  before,  and  had  they  been 
less  prepossessing  than  they  were,  their  kindness  would  have 


670  THE   AVAR-CLOUD. 

bound  him  to  think  them  pleasant  gentlemen;  but  they  were  a 
line,  handsome  body  of  men.  Conspicuous  among  them  was 
"Sayd  bin  Salim,  the  governor  of  the  colony,  Sheikh  bin  Nasib, 
his  Highness  of  Zanzibar's  consul  at  Karangwa;  then  Kamis 
bin  Abdullah,  and  young  Araram  bin  Mussoud ;  handsome  and 
courageous  Soud,  the  son  of  Sayd  bin  Majid ;  then  Thani  bin 
Abdullah  ;  next  Mussoud  bin  Abdullah  and  his  cousin,  Abdullah 
bin  ]Mussoud ;  then  old  Suliman  Dowa  Sayd  bin  Sayf  and  the  old 
Hetman  of  Tabora — Sultan  bin  All."  When  all  the  formalities 
of  greeting  and  the  congratulations  and  protestations  and  invita- 
tions were  over,  these  distinguished  models  of  Arab  etiquette 
departed,  carrying  an  engagement  with  Mr.  Stanley  for  his 
presence  with  them  three  days  from  date. 

The  kindness  of  these  wealthy  visitors  had  pavetl  the  way, 
intentionally  or  otherwise,  for  involving  the  Herald  Expedition 
in  a  way  which  threatened  it  with  great  disaster.  When  Mr. 
Stanley  repaired  to  Tabora,  according  to  his  engagement,  he 
found  himself  just  in  time  to  be  present  at  a  grave  council  of 
war,  in  which  he  was  invited  to  take  a  seat  with  Selim,  his  Arab 
interpreter,  by  his  side. 

The  trouble  was  with  a  chief  called  Mirambo,  who  it  seems 
had  for  several  years  been  in  a  state  of  chronic  discontent  with 
the  policies  of  the  neighboring  chiefs.  Formerly  a  pagazi  for 
an  Arab,  he  had  now  assumed  regal  power,  with  the  usual  knack 
of  unconscionable  rascals  who  care  not  by  what  means  they  step 
into  authority.  AVhen  the  chief  of  Uyoweh  died,  this  bold  man, 
who  was  at  the  head  of  a  gang  of  robbers  infesting  the  forests 
of  Wilyankuru,  suddenly  entered  Uyoweh  and  constituted  him- 
self lord  paramount  by  force,  and  by  a  few  feats  of  enterprise 
which  he  performed  to  the  enrichment  of  those  who  recognized 
his  authority,  soon  established  himself  firmly  in  his  position. 
From  this  beginning  he  had  carried  destructive  war  over  three 
degrees  of  latitude,  and  at  length  conceiving  a  grievance  against 
Mkasiwa,  chief  of  the  Wanyamwezi,  demanded  of  the  Arabs 
that  they  should  sustain  him  against  their  ally.  This  they  re- 
fused to  do,  and  ^Mirambo  had  in  resentment  resolved  that  no 
Arab  caravan  should  pass  tiirough  his  country  to  Ujiji;  and  not 
satisfied  with  this  menace  of  the  foreigners,  had  now  proclaimed 
open  war  ou  them  and  the  ^^'anyanlwezi  together.     AVe  will  not 


THE  CLIMATE  OF   U>ri'ANYEMBE.  671 

detain  the  reader  with  the  proceedings  of  the  council :  it  is  enough 
tliat  it  was  determined  to  march  against  this  impertinent  chief 
and  annihilate  him  at  once.  And  Mr.  Stanley,  partly  because 
he  saw  no  other  way  of  reaching  Ujiji  and  relieving  Dr.  Living- 
stone, and  partly  because  he  felt  under  obligation  to  assist  those 
who  had  shown  him  such  attentions,  consented  to  join  them  in 
the  enterprise. 

In  the  interval  of  the  preparations  for  this  war,  Mr.  Stanley 
was  attacked  by  that  subtle  enemy  of  the  white  man,  which 
must  be  confronted  in  every  part  of  Africa.  The  fever  raged, 
and  in  the  days  of  delirium  he  traversed  again  the  varied  scenes 
of  the  eventful  ])ast.  He  had  come  to  Unyanyembe  about  the 
beginning  of  summer.  It  is  then  that  the  east  wind,  the  only 
wind  so  ill  that  it  blows  nobody  any  good  in  any  land,  comes 
sweeping  over  the  country,  "  refrigerated  by  the  damp  alluvial 
valleys  of  the  first  region,  and  the  tree-clad  peaks  and  swampy 
plains  of  Usagara,  with  a  freezing  cold  in  an  atmosphere  properly 
tepid.  These  unnatural  combinations  of  extremes,  causing  sudden 
chills  when  the  skin  perspires,  bring  on  inevitable  disease.  These 
gales  are  most  violent  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  season,  imme- 
diately after  the  cessation  of  the  rains,  and  as  the  summer  ad- 
vances the  transition  diseases  disappear  and  the  climate  becomes 
more  agreeable."  Mr.  Stanley  arrived  just  in  the  trying  period ; 
though  suflering  severely,  the  torture  was  of  short  duration,  and 
he  tells  us  that  on  the  tenth  day  after  his  first  illness  he  was  in 
good  trim  again.  Then  Shaw  was  down,  next  Selim,  and  it 
was  the  28th  of  July  before  they  were  sufficiently  recovered  to 
start  on  such  an  enterprise  as  lay  before  him. 

Although  contemplating  an  engagement  with  Mirambo,  he 
was  so  confident  that  the  allied  forces  would  vanquish  that  chief 
easily  that  he  determined  to  go  as  far  as  his  border,  prepared  to 
continue  his  journey  to  Ujiji  without  returning  to  Unyanyembe. 
Accordingly  he  left  Unyanyembe  on  the  29th  with  fifty  men, 
loaded  with  bales,  beads  and  wire.  At  Mfuto,  after  a  three 
days'  march,  he  joined  the  Arab  forces,  having  stored  his  goods. 
The  army,  mustering  in  all  two  thousand  two  hundred  and  fifty 
men,  advanced  upon  the  stronghold  of  the  enemy.  Then  fol- 
lows a  story  of  failure,  of  retreat,  of  shameful  cowardice  on  the 
part  of  those  most  deeply  interested,  and  a  few  days  later  he  was 


B72  THE   TABLES    TURNED. 

in  Unjanyembe  again,  heartily  disgusted  with  the  Arab  raethotf 
of  warfare  and  their  ideas  of  duty  to  an  ally;  with  the  scene 
before  him  of  Mirainbo's  army  surrounding  Tabora. 

Feeling  himself  fully  absolved  from  all  obligations  to  his  Arab 
neighbors,  for  whom  he  had  nearly  sacrificed  his  life  and  the 
expedition,  Mr.  Stanley  now  set  about  collecting  a  new  set  of 
carriers,  determined  to  start  for  Ujiji  by  a  route  which  promise<l 
freedom  from  the  opposition  of  Mirambo,  though  much  more 
indirect  than  the  one  he  would  have  preferred  to  take.  It  was 
no  easy  matter  to  secure  such  a  number  of  men  as  he  needed 
under  the  circumstances.  But  the  delay  was  unendurable,  while 
he  feared  that  the  great  and  good  man  whom  he  had  been  sent 
out  to  find  and  help  might  be  suffering  at  Ujiji;  therefore  he 
decided  to  leave  the  greater  portion  of  his  goods  under  a  guard 
and  set  out  with  a  "flying  caravan"  by  the  southern  route 
through  northern  Ukonongo  and  Ukawendi.  Conspicuous 
among  those  whom  he  mustered  for  this  march  were  two  men 
of  giant  proportions,  named  Asmani  and  Mabruki,  who  will  play 
a  conspicuous  part  as  we  shall  see. 

But  gathering  a  force  is  not  all  of  getting  away  from  such 
quarters  as  Unyanyembe.  There  are  always  little  domestic  ties 
formed  by  the  sable  attendants  of  a  traveller  in  such  quarters 
which  are  not  friendly  to  prompt  departures.  When  on  the 
morning  of  the  20th  of  September  the  caravan  was  mustered 
outside  of  the  tembe,  under  flags  and  streamers  so  proudly  un- 
furled, and  all  the  loads  were  ready  to  be  lifted,  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal members  of  the  expedition  was  missing.  Where  was 
Bombay  ?  Where  should  he  be — where  would  one  expect  to 
find  such  a  gallant  at  such  a  time?  "Bombay  was  found 
weeping  in  the  arms  of  his  Delilah." 

We  cannot  require  the  reader,  whose  real  concern  is  to  kno\v 
how  and  when  and  where  this  expedition  succeeded  in  bringing 
cx)nsolation  and  timely  aid  to  Dr.  Livingstone,  to  follow  him  with 
the  details  of  this  journey  of  so  much  interest  in  the  life  of  Mr. 
Stanley.  The  days  were  full  of  petty  complaints  from  a  few 
grumblers,  and  almost  every  night  desertions  occurred.  Shaw 
was  more  trouble  than  a  dozen  babies,  and  ultimately  succeeded 
in  provoking  his  employer  to  send  him  back  to  Unyanyembe, 
Day  after  day  were  the  same  experiences ;  forest  after  forest  was 


ROYAL  VISITORS   ENTERTAINED.  673 

passed  ;  the  villagers  were  all  cautious ;  only  news  of  war,  war ! 
filled  the  country.  The  terror  of  Mirambo  was  on  the  whole 
region.  Kasegera  was  passed  just  as  a  welcome  was  being  given 
to  a  party  returning  from  the  coast.  The  great  village  of 
Ugunda,  from  whose  formidable  stockade  even  the  powerful 
Mirambo  had  withdrawn  his  forces  in  despair  of  taking  it,  was 
left  behind  them.  On  the  2d  of  October  they  entered  the  culti- 
vated fields  of  Manyara,  made  conspicuous  in  the  story  by  a 
scene  such  as  can  never  fade  from  the  memory  of  a  man  who  has 
any  eye  for  the  ridiculous.  The  authorities  of  this  village  refused 
admission  to  the  travellers,  and  declined  positively  to  allow  their 
people  to  sell  them  any  food.  On  the  3d,  Stanley  continued  to 
ply  the  chief  with  offered  presents,  having  well  learned  already 
that  no  African  chief  is  proof  against  such  beautiful  things  as  the 
white  man  can  offer.  "When  terms  were  made,  and  the  precious 
beans  and  rice  and  mataraa  and  Indian  corn  began  to  flow  into  his 
camp,  Mr.  Stanley  arranged  to  receive  the  chiefs.  His  Persian 
carpet  and  bear  skin  were  spread  out,  and  a  bran  new  piece  of 
crimson  cloth  covered  his  bed.  He  received  the  chief  and  his 
associate  chieftains  at  the  gate  of  his  camp  and  escorted  them 
with  all  dignity  into  the  gaudy-looking  tent,  and  invited  them 
to  seat  themselves. 

The  first  thing  that  these  noble  men  did  was  to  scrutinize  the 
owner  of  that  pavilion  intently,  his  face,  his  clothes,  his  entire 
person,  and  thereupon  burst  into  uncontrollable  laughter,  accom- 
panied with  repeated  snapping  of  the  fingers.  Everything  in 
the  tent  was  examined  with  the  same  intent  curiosity ;  the  six- 
teen-shooter  particularly  elicited  a  thousand  flattering  observa- 
tions, and  the  tiny  revolvers  seemed  to  them  of  superhuman 
workmanship.  As  they  passed  from  object  to  object  their 
enthusiasm  increased,  and  in  the  wildness  of  their  delight  they 
seized  each  other's  index  fingers  and  screwed  and  pulled  as  if 
they  would  inevitably  dislocate  those  innocent  members.  When 
the  medicine  chest  was  produced,  the  climax  of  their  admiration 
seemed  to  be  reached.  They  tasted  the  brandy ;  next  came  a 
bottle  of  concentrated  ammonia,  whose  use  it  was  expiained  was 
for  snake-bites  and  headaches.  The  chief  immediately  com- 
plained that  he  had  headache  and  must  have  some.  Telling 
him  to  close  his  eyes,  Mr.  Stanley  suddenly  uncorked  the  bottle 


674  QUICK    MEDICINE. 

and  presented  it  to  his  majesty's  nose ;  the  effect,  he  tells  us,  was 
magical :  he  fell  back  as  if  he  was  shot,  and  such  contortions  as 
liis  features  underwent  are  indescribable.  The  chieftains  roared 
with  laughter,  and  clapped  their  hands  and  pinched  each  other 
and  snapped  their  fingers  in  a  frenzy  of  merriment,  while  the 
great  chief,  slowly  recovering  himself,  great  tears  rolling  down 
his  cheeks  and  his  face  quivering  with  laughter,  slowly  uttered 
tlie  word,  "  Kali " — hot,  strong  or  quick  medicine.  The  morn- 
ing passed  and  the  visitors  left  delighted  and  fully  impressed 
with  the  idea  of  the  wliite  man's  greatness,  which  they  expressed 
most  vehemently,  saying,  "  Oh,  these  white  men  know  every- 
tiiing,  the  Arabs  are  dirt  compared  to  them." 

They  had  now  come  into  the  real  game  country  of  Unyam- 
wezi.  They  had  barely  left  the  waving  corn-fields  of  Manyara 
when  they  came  in  sight  of  a  herd  of  noble  zebra.  As  they 
advanced  they  beheld  herds  of  buffalo,  zebra,  giraffe  and  ante- 
lope. They  were  on  the  banks  of  the  Gombe.  The  whole 
country  was  one  magnificent  park,  and  it  was  impossible  to  re- 
sist the  temptation  to  spend  a  few  days  in  hunting.  And  when 
the  days  admonished  him  of  the  imjwrtance  of  continuing  the 
journey,  so  thoroughly  in  love  with  the  beautiful  scenes  and 
the  abundance  of  meat  had  his  men  become  that  his  order 
to  march  was  met  by  open  rebellion.  They  delegated  Bombay 
to  beg  that  they  might  stay  one  day  longer.  Bombay  was  well 
scolded  for  bringing  such  a  message,  after  two  days  of  rest  and 
so  much  food.  Bombay  moved  away  in  a  manifestly  sulky 
mood,  and  an  expression  which  seemed  to  say,  *'  Well,  get  them 
to  move  yourself,  you  wicked,  hard  man  ;  I  shall  not  help  you." 
That  which  followed  we  give  in  Mr.  Stanley's  words :  "  Notwith- 
standing their  unwillingness,  at  the  sound  of  the  horn  the  men 
turned  to  their  bales  and  marched  off,  but  in  deep,  sullen  silence." 
Stanley  remained  behind  to  drive  the  stragglers  on.  In  about 
half  an  hour  he  saw  the  caravan  come  to  a  dead  halt,  the  bales 
thrown  down  and  the  men,  engaged  in  angry  conversation  and 
gesticulation,  standing  about  in  grouj)s.  There  was  manifestly 
serious  work  on  hand,  and  taking  his  double-barrel  gun  from 
Selim's  shoulder  he  selected  a  dozen  charges  of  buckshot,  and 
slipping  two  of  them  into  the  barrels  and  adjusting  his  revolvers 
for  liandy  work,  he  walked  forward  towards  the  angry  men. 


A   PLOT   DISCOVERED.  675 

/ 

He  noticed  them  seize  their  guns  as  he  approached,  and  when 
within  about  thirty  yards  of  the  groups  he  discovered  the  heads 
of  two  men  appear  above  an  ant-hill  on  his  left  with  their  guns 
carelessly  pointed  toward  the  road.  Instantly  he  halted,  and 
taking  deliberate  aim  at  them,  threatened  to  blow  their  heads 
off  if  they  did  not  come  forward  to  talk  to  him.  These  two  men 
were  the  gigantic  Asmani  and  his  sworn  companion  Mabruki, 
who  the  reader  will  remember  were  among  the  men  obtained  at 
Unyanyembe.  They  were  afraid  not  to  obey  such  an  order,  so 
they  came;  but  keeping  his  eye  on  Asmani,  Stanley  saw  him 
moving  his  fingers  to  the  trigger  of  his  gun  and  bringing  his 
gun  to  a  "  ready,"  and  was  obliged  again  to  threaten  him  with 
instant  death  if  he  did  not  put  his  gun  down.  Asmani  then 
came  on  in  a  sidelong  way,  with  a  smirking  smile  on  his  face 
and  the  lurid  light  of  murder  in  his  eye,  as  plainly  as  ever  such 
a  light  shone  in  the  eye  of  a  villain.  Meantime  Mabruki  sneaked 
to  his  rear,  deliberately  putting  powder  in  the  pan  of  his  musket ; 
but  wheeling  just  in  time,  Mr.  Stanley  planted  the  muzzle  of  his 
own  gun  within  two  feet  of  the  wicked  rascal's  face,  and  com- 
manded him  to  drop  his  piece  instantly.  There  could  be  no 
hesitation  :  Mabruki  saw  that  and  let  it  foil,  and  instantly  went 
reeling  back  under  a  vigorous  blow  in  the  breast  from  the  muzzle 
of  that  which  had  been  levelled  in  his  face,  and  left  the  single 
Mhite  man  to  confront  Asmani  again.  Asmani  was  of  a  more 
stubborn  spirit,  and  in  the  face  of  Stanley's  gun  began  lifting 
his  gun  to  his  shoulder.  It  would  have  been  his  last  act,  but 
just  at  the  moment  when  Stanley's  finger  was  coming  down  on 
the  trigger  of  his  gun  a  form  appeared  behind  Asmani,  and  a 
strong  hand  swept  his  gun  aside  with  an  impatient,  nervous 
movement,  and  the  voice  of  Mabruki  Speke  was  heard  in  horror- 
stricken  accents,  saying,  "  Man,  how  dare  you  point  your  gun 
at  the  master !  "  Mabruki  Speke  then  threw  himself  at  the  feet 
of  his  master  and  endeavored  to  kiss  them,  and  entreated  his 
forgiveness.  "  It  is  all  over  now,"  he  said  ;  "  there  will  be  no 
more  quarrelling;  they  would  all  go  to  Tanganyika  now',  with- 
out any  more  noise  and  inshallah  !  "  Said  he,  "  We  shall  find 
the  old  musungu  at  Ujiji."  Then  turning  to  the  men  he  said, 
"  Men,  freemen,  shall  we  not?  Shall  we  not  go  to  Tanganyika 
without  any  more  trouble  ?     Tell  the  master  with  one  voice." 


676 

"Ay,  Wallah  !  ay,  "SVallah  !  bana  Yango!  hamuna  raanneno 
mgini " — whicli  literally  translated  is,  "  Yes,  by  God  !  yes,  by 
God !  my  master ! "  "  There  are  no  other  words,"  said  each 
man  in  turn.  All  the  men  were  pardoned  except  Bombay  and 
Ambari,  who  were  the  real  leaders  in  the  plot.  They  both  re- 
ceived a  sound  thrashing  and  were  clapped  in  chains  until  they 
learned  how  to  ask  pardon,  which  they  were  not  long  in  doing, 
and  the  wonted  freedom  and  peacefulness  of  the  party  was  soon 
restored.  Nothing  more  of  unusual  interest  transpired  until 
they  reached  the  district  of  Mrera,  fourteen  days  journey  from 
Unyanyembe. 


CHAPTER   XXXII. 

THE   MEETING. 

Approaching  Each  Other— The  Spirit  of  the  Man— "A  Good  Heart"— Ade- 
quacy of  Christian  Kindness — Africa  for  Christ — Effigies  of  Men — A  Lesson 
Learned — Mistake  the  Man — The  Ambuscade — A  Third  Deliverance — A  Good 
Omen — No  Vengeance — The  Leopard — Weary  and  Indifferent — Painful  Re- 
flections— "  Little  Better  than  a  Skeleton  " — Drerdful  Disappointment — The 
Good  Samaritan — Mr.  Stanley's  Caravan — "  That  23d  Pay  of  October  " — Good 
News — A  Forced  March — The  Tanganyika  at  Last — The  First  View  of  the 
Lake — Special  Charms  for  Stanley — The  Approach — "  Good-Morning,  Sir  " — 
" 'W'ho  the  Mischief  are  You?" — The  Meeting— The  Conversation — The  Reve- 
lation Made — "  God  Never  Failed  Him  " — The  Best  Medicine — A  Cruise  on 
the  Lake— No  Outlet  Found—"  I  Must  Finish  ray  Task." 

About  the  time  that  Mr.  Stanley  halted  his  caravan  in 
Mrera  Dr.  Livingstone  landed  on  the  islet  Kasenge,  in  Lake 
Tanganyika.  They  were  approaching  each  other.  AVe  re- 
member how  sadly  the  great  traveller  turned  away  his  eyes 
from  the  river  which  he  believed  could  in  one  short  month 
guide  him  to  the  Nile.  We  left  him  arranging  for  his  return 
to  Ujiji,  where  he  contemplated  one  of  two  evils,  as  the  only 
thing  hopeful  which  awaited  him  there :  either  he  must  gather 
followers  from  the  unreliable  vagabonds  who  might  be  found 
floating  about  town,  or  be  willing  to  wait  ten  months  at  least 
until  men  could  be  sent  from  the  coast.  But  he  was  not  dis- 
couraged ;  the  spirit  of  the  man  was  indomitable,  his  resolute- 
ness was  astonishing.  Far  advanced  in  years,  and  feeling  the 
weight  of  age,  the  victim  of  various  diseases,  surrounded  by 
wars,  with  an  experience  of  years  confirming  all  the  apprehen- 
sions of  dangers  and  want  and  disappointment  which  could 
possibly  arise  in  his  thoughts,  he  calmly  contemplated,  first  re- 
tracing his  stej>s  at  least  six  hundred  miles,  and  then  a  long  and 
perilous  circuitous  route,  for  the  purpose  of  reaching  again,  out- 
side of  the  net  of  the  slavers,  the  promising  thread  of  discovery 
which  he  was  forced  for  the  time  to  relinquish.     It  is  absolutely 

677 


678  POWER   OF    BENEVOLENCE. 

wrtain  that  nothing  could  Imve  separated  liim   from  his  task 
except  death. 

We  liave  already  become  familiar  with  the  country  through 
which  his  journey  to  Ujiji  lay.  The  Manyuema,  who  had 
learned  the  dilFerence  between  the  white  man  and  the  Arabs, 
treated  him  kindly  ;  they  had  no  quarrel  with  him :  he  had  a 
"  good  heart/'  they  said.  There  is  marvellous  power  in  good- 
ness ;  the  benevolence  in  human  nature  is  the  brightest  reflection 
of  Deity  ;  Christian  kindness  is  the  truest  representative  of  the 
grace  of  God.  The  lives  of  men  acting  out  those  generous  im- 
pulses implanted  by  the  Spirit  of.  God  are  most  potential  rays 
from  Calvary,  penetrating  the  world,  enlightening,  cheering, 
and  controlling  human  hearts.  The  fact  of  the  crucifixion  is 
the  saving  truth  of  the  ages :  good  men  are  the  channels  of  its 
dissemination  and  the  agents  of  its  power.  It  is  not  by  human 
prowess  but  by  human  benevolence  that  the  world  is  to  become 
the  kingdom  of  the  Lord  and  of  his  Christ.  If  the  life  of 
David  Livingstone  does  no  more,  it  will  reassure  the  hearts  of 
men  in  the  absolute  adequacy  of  Christian  kindness  to  control 
the  rudest  barbarians,  and  make  allies  in  noblest  enterprises  of 
the  most  ignorant  and  degraded.  Perils  there  may  be  for  the 
man  who  ventures  on  missionary  work  among  savages,  but  if 
he  be  thoroughly  in  love  with  them,  so  sincerely  and  immov- 
ably consecrated  to  their  welfare  that  no  exhibitions  of  depravity 
can  diminish  his  zeal,  and  no  ingratitude  paralyze  his  purpose, 
if  he  seek  them  as  Christ  sought  the  world,  the  love  of  his  heart 
will  be  his  palladium  and  his  kind  offices  his  edicts  of  authority. 
Tlie  life  which  is  an  emanation  from  the  heart  of  Christ  will 
disarm  all  prejudices  and  overcome  all  resistance,  and  lead 
out  the  latent  virtues  of  the  most  ignorant  and  vicious,  like 
the  gentle,  genial  rays  of  the  sun  scatter  the  darkness  and  melt 
the  crusts  of  earth  and  summon  from  its  deadness  a  very  para- 
dise of  life  and  beauty.  Next  to  Jesus  Christ  a  loveful  human 
life  is  glorious.  When  all  the  story  has  been  told,  when  the 
portrait  of  Livingstone  stands  out  complete,  the  best  thing  of 
all  that  will  have  been  said,  the  brightest  lines  on  the  canvas, 
will  be  the  words  of  these  poor  Manyuema  cannibals,  "  a  good 
vian  !  "  We  cannot  think  of  him  journeying  toward  Ujiji,  full 
of  sorrow  and  pain,  while  tha  trembling  victims  of  Arab  cruel- 


A    I.I^SON    FROM    HEATHEN.  679 

ties  hung  on  his  track,  bogging  him  to  stay  with  them  and  help 
them,  without  tendorost  emotion.  Oh,  how  long  shall  it  be  be- 
fore the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  extends  its  blessings  to  all  the 
benighted  of  earth  !  Where  the  sun  has  shone,  it  may  shine ; 
where  Christian  feet  have  trod,  they  may  tread ;  where  Chris- 
tian power  has  been  recognized  and  felt,  it  may  reign.  Africa 
may  be  Christ's,  all  Christ's;  the  same  gentle  agency  by  whic;h 
the  gospel  prevails  in  other  lands  is  enough  to  make  even  the 
darkest  wildernesses  of  that  land,  earliest  known  and  last  to  be 
redeemed,  blossom  like  a  rose. 

As  he  journeyed  toward  Bambarre  the  traveller's  heart  was 
grieved  every  day  by  the  desolations  which  the  unscrupulous 
invaders  had  made,  in  even  so  short  a  time.  The  sites  of  de- 
stroyed villages,  panic-stricken  refugees,  there  was  nothing 
cheering,  the  deepening  curse  hung  like  a  pall  over  all  the  land- 
scapes. The  hills  were  not  inspiring  as  they  would  have  been  , 
even  the  splendid  foliage  waving  everywhere,  like  nature's  de- 
fiance of  human  wrath,  could  not  seem  as  fresh  and  green  as  it 
was,  to  eyes  saddened  by  such  sights  as  it  imperfectly  concealed. 
Effigies  of  men  were  often  seen:  the  people  called  them  Bathata 
— fathers  or  ancients.  The  names  of  these  rude  pieces  of 
handiwork  were  preserved,  and  when  they  were  spoken  of,  thase 
revered  names  were  pronounced  most  carefully.  These  heathen 
teach  us  a  lesson  by  their  thoughtful  utterances  of  the  names  of 
their  deities.  Sometimes  there  are  offerings  made  to  the 
"  fathers  "  by  the  poor  savages. 

On  this  journey  Dr.  I^ivingstone  was  repeatedly  saved  from 
death  by  unmistakable  providences.  In  his  account  of  this  he 
says,  that  one  day  he  came  to  a  village,  ill,  almost  every  step  in 
pain,  and  was  distressed  to  see  the  people  all  run  away.  There 
was  evidently  a  mistake,  he  felt  sure  they  could  not  know  who 
he  was.  They  would  come  sometimes  and  throw  stones  at  his 
people,  and  tried  to  kill  those  who  went  for  water.  All  night 
these  villagers  watched  them.  The  next  morning,  the  first  thing 
was  to  send  men  forward  to  see  if  the  way  was  clear.  But  the 
people  would  come  to  no  terms.  They  knew  their  advantage, 
and  the  wrongs  they  had  suffered  from  Bin  Juma  and  Mo- 
hamad's men  when  they  threw  down  the  ivory  in  the  forest. 
In  passing  along  the  narrow  path,  with  a  wall  of  dense  vegeta- 
35 


C80  THE   AMBUSCADE. 

tion  touching  each  hand,  the  party  came  to  a  point  where  an 
ambush  had  been  placed,  and  trees  cut  down  to  obstruct  thera 
while  they  speared  them  ;  but  for  some  reason  it  was  abandoned. 
Nothing  could  be  detected ;  but  by  stooping  down  to  the  earth 
and  peering  up  towards  the  sun,  a  dark  shade  could  sometimes 
be  seen :  this  was  an  infuriated  savage,  and  a  slight  rustle  in 
the  dense  vegetation  meant  a  spear.  A  large  spear  from  liis 
right  lunged  past  the  doctor,  and  almost  grazed  his  back,  and 
stuck  firmly  into  the  soil.  The  two  men  from  whom  it  came 
appeared  in  an  opening  in  the  forest  only  ten  yards  oif  and 
bolted,  one  looking  back  over  his  shoulder  as  he  ran.  As  they 
were  expert  with  the  spear  it  was  remarkable  that  it  missed, 
except  that  he  was  too  sure  of  his  aim  and  the  good  hand  of 
God  was  upon  Livingstone. 

He  was  behind  the  main  body,  and  all  were  allowed  to  pass 
till  he,  the  leader,  who  was  believed  to  be  Mohamad  Bogharib, 
or  Kolokolo  himself,  came  up  to  the  point  where  they  lay.  A 
red  jacket  they  had  formerly  seen  the  doctor  wearing  was  proof 
to  them  that  he  was  the  same  that  sent  Bin  Juma  to  kill  five  of 
their  men,  capture  eleven  women  and,children,  and  twenty-five 
goats.  Another  spear  was  thrown  at  him  by  an  unseen  assail- 
ant, and  it  missed  also,  by  about  a  foot  in  front.  Guns  were 
fired  into  the  dense  mass  of  forest,  but  with  no  effect,  for  noth- 
ing could  be  seen;  they  heard  the  men  jeering  and  denouncing 
them  close  by :  two  of  their  party  were  slain,  still  no  one  could 
be  seen. 

Coming  to  a  part  of  the  forest  cleared  for  cultivation  Dr. 
Livingstone  noticed  a  gigantic  tree,  made  still  taller  by  growing 
on  an  ant-hill  twenty  feet  high  ;  it  had  fire  aj)plied  near  its  roots. 
He  heard  a  crack,  which  told  that  the  fire  had  done  its  work, 
but  felt  no  alarm  till  he  saw  it  come  straight  toward  him ;  he 
ran  a  few  paces  back,  and  down  it  came  to  the  ground  one  yard 
behind  him,  and,  breaking  into  several  lengths,  it  covered  him 
with  a  cloud  of  dust.  Had  the  branches  not  previously  been 
rotted  off  he  could  scarcely  have  escaped.  Thus  three  times  in 
one  day  he  was  delivered  from  impending  death.  When  they 
saw  this  third  deliverance,  his  attendants,  who  were  scattered 
in  all  directions,  came  running  back  to  him,  calling  out,  "  Peace! 
r>eace !  you  will  finish  all  your  work  in  spite  of  these  people, 


"j    BECAME    WEARY — INDIFFERENT."  G83 

and  in  spite  of  everything."  Like  them,  Dr.  I.<ivingstone  too]< 
it  as  an  omen  of  good  success  to  crown  him  yet,  for  which  his 
faith  gave  thanks  to  the  "Ahuiglity  Preserver  of  men." 

Tliey  had  five  hours  of  running  the  gauntlet,  waylaid  by 
spearmen,  who  all  felt  that  if  they  killed  the  doctor  they  would 
be  revenging  the  death  of  relations.  From  each  hole  in  the 
tangled  mass  a  spear  could  be  expected  ;  and  each  moment  they 
expected  to  hear  the  rustle  which  told  of  deadly  weapons  hurlcni 
at  them.  "  I  became  weary,"  he  says,  "  with  the  constant  strain 
of  danger,  and,  as  I  suppose  happens  with  soldiers  on  the 
field  of  battle,  not  courageous,  but  perfectly  indifferent  whether 
I  were  killed  or  not." 

When  at  last  they  got  out  of  the  forest  and  crossed  the  Liya 
on  to  the  cleared  lands  near  the  villages  of  Monanbundwa,  and 
lay  down  to  rest,  they  soon  saw  Muanampunda  coming,  walking 
up  in  a  stately  manner  unarmed  to  meet  them.  He  had  heard 
the  vain  firing  into  the  bush,  and  came  to  ask  what  was  the 
matter.  Dr.  Livingstone  explained  the  mistake  that  had  been 
made  by  the  assailants  in  supposing  that  he  was  Kolokolo,  the 
deeds  of  whose  meu  he  knew,  and  then  they  went  on  to  his 
village  together. 

In  the  evening  the  chief  sent  to  say  that  if  the  doctor  would 
give  him  all  his  people  who  had  guns,  he  would  call  his  own 
people  together,  burn  off  all  the  vegetation  they  could  fire,  and 
punish  the  offenders.  This  was  not  consistent  with  the  feelings 
of  Dr.  Livingstone.  He  felt  very  grateful  that  God  had  delivered 
him,  and  had  saved  him  from  shedding  blood  when  it  seemed 
impossible  to  do  otherwise,  and,  declining  the  offered  service,  he 
pursued  his  way.  He  was  too  ill  to  take  much  notice  of  the 
country,  too  ill,  indeed,  to  realize  the  dangers  surrounding  him. 
In  all  his  wanderings  no  journey  had  been  performed  with 
greater  suffering.  The  country  was  not  only  the  abode  of  wild 
men,  but  the  forests  and  jungles  through  which  they  passed 
afforded  hiding-places  to  most  ferocious  beasts,  whose  presence 
always  calls  for  vigilance  on  the  part  of  such  individuals  as  in- 
vade their  precincts.  The  leopard,  whose  habits  have  not  come 
so  conspicuously  before  us  as  many  of  the  monsters  of  the  land, 
is  a  serious  scourge  in  Manyuema.  One  day  a  goat,  an  humble 
but  very  important  member  of  the  caravan,  was  surprised  by 


684  A   DEEADFUL   DISAPPOINTMENT. 

the  pressing  attentions  of  a  giant  leopard.  He  was  a  terrible 
animal;  he  seized  the  poor  goat  with  hungry  rage,  and 'even 
when  a  shot  had  broken  both  his  forelegs  the  enraged  beast 
sprang  on  a  man  and  bit  him  severely.  There  were  elephants 
and  buffaloes  and  lions,  and  herds  of  more  harmless  animals,  but 
the  weary  traveller  was  in  no  mood  for  adventure,  and  at  best 
had  no  fondness  for  hunting.  The  sufferings  he  endured  in  body 
Increased  every  day,  and  before  he  reached  Tanganyika  he  felt 
as  if  he  should  certainly  die  on  his  feet.  His  appetite  failed, 
the  smallest  quantities  of  meat  caused  violent  diarrhoea,  and  his 
mind  being  sorely  depressed  reacted  on  the  body.  All  the 
traders  were  returning  successful ;  he  only  had  failed,  and  ex- 
perienced worry,  thwarting,  baffling,  when  almost  in  sight  of 
the  end  toward  which  he  had  strained.  With  such  reflections, 
and  a  body  almost  worn  out,  he  dragged  himself  toward  the 
lake.  At  length,  on  the  23d  of  October,  he  landed  the  second 
time  at  Ujiji.  All  of  the  Arabs  turned  out  to  welcome  him, 
but  more  than  all  was  Moenyeghere  abounding  in  cordiality. 
The  long  march  was  over,  the  exploration  of  Manyuema  had 
been  accomplished,  the  real  cannibals  had  been  seen,  and  the 
slave-trade  had  been  investigated  to  his  fullest  satisfaction. 
But  the  hero  himself  had  returned  "  little  better  than  a  skele- 
ton." But  the  markets  were  full  of  all  kinds  of  food,  and  with 
rest  and  food  the  emaciated  body  might  soon  become  vigorous, 
and  then,  the  plans — there  is  nothing  like  the  elasticity  of  a 
strong  man's  spirits — he  would  yet  see  all  those  vast  under- 
ground houses  and  the  four  ancient  fountains.  In  the  midst  of 
these  inspiring  hopes  there  came  a  piece  of  information  which 
seemed  to  blot  out  the  picture  his  hope  was  sketching,  and 
plunged  him  into  the  deepest  perplexity.  All  of  his  plans  had 
presupposed  the  possession  of  abundant  supplies  of  cloth  and 
lie^ds  which  he  knew  had  been  sent  to  Ujiji. 

Unfortunately  these  supplies  had  been  intrusted  to  one 
Shereef  Basha,  as  leader  of  the  caravan  conveying  them  from 
Zanzibar;  he  proved  himself  a  consummate  thief;  not  a  thread 
or  a  bead  remained  for  the  owner  of  all.  This  was  dreadful 
news.  "  Out  of  three  thousand  yards  of  calico  and  seven  hun- 
dred pounds  of  beads  not  a  yard  of  calico  or  a  string  of  beads 
remained."     The  case  was  truly  desperate ;  the  few  things  which 


THE   GOOD   6AMAIIITAX.  687 

tlie  doctor  had  left  of  his  old  stock  could  hardly  suffice  to  buy 
food  for  himself  and  his  few  men  a  single  month.  He  saw 
nothing  but  starvation  or  absolute  dependence  on  the  Arabs  in 
store  for  him  ;  and  there  was  no  redress.  The  man  who  had  re- 
duced him  to  this  extremity  by  his  outrageous  dishonesty  even 
jiresumcd  to  offer  liis  welcome  with  extended  hand,  and  when 
his  hand  was  refused  complained  of  being  badly  treated !  The 
destitution  was  almost  unbearable.  Where  was  the  good 
Samaritan  whose  commission  it  might  be  to  relieve  him?  God 
could  have  answered  that  question  ! 

Mr.  Stanley  had  left  Mrera  on  the  17th.  His  caravan 
was  the  picture  of  confidence  and  contentment  again,  all  squab- 
bling had  ceased,  Bombay  had  forgotten  his  rebellion,  the 
powerful  Kirangozi  was  ready  to  embrace  his  captain,  and  Mab- 
ruki  of  Unyanyem be  vowed  he  could  smell  the  fish  of  Tangan- 
yika. They  had  passed  through  the  thin  forests  adorned  with 
myriads  of  marvellous  ant-hills,  those  M^onderful  specimens  of 
engineering  talent  and  architectural  capacity,  those  cunningly 
contrived,  model  cities,  with  which  the  tiny  denizens  of  African 
wilds  astonish  the  traveller  continually ;  and  on  across  plains 
dotted  with  artificial-looking  cones  and  flat-topped,  isolated 
mountains,  and  through  marshy  ravines  where  every  unlucky 
step  insured  a  bath  in  Stygian  ooze — the  various  scenes  of 
southern  Ukonongo.  Then  on  through  the  territory  so  lately 
abandoned  by  the  dreaded  Wazavira.  And  on  that  23d  day  of 
October,  that  seemed  the  darkest  of  all  the  days  to  Dr.  Living- 
stone, lie  was  on  the  banks  of  the  "  beautiful  stream  of  Mtambo/* 

"  Where  the  thorny  brake  and  thicket 
Densely  fill  the  interspace 
Of  the  trees,  through  whose  thick  branches 
Isever  sunshine  lights  the  place  " — 

the  abode  of  lions  and  leopards  and  elephants  and  wild  boars. 
One  of  those  splendid  parks  of  the  wilderness  where  majestic 
forests  and  jungles,  and  lawn-like  glades,  and  reedy  brakes  and 
perilous  chasms  all  unite  to  form  that  climax  of  wildness  and 
beauty,  "the  hunter's  paradise."  It  was  just  the  place  to  arouse 
all  the  Nimrod  spirit  a  man  possesses,  and  the  two  days  of  rest 
•were  turned  to  good  account  by  Mr.  Stanley  in  testing  the  virtue 
of  his  fine  rifles  on  the  masters  of  the  domain. 


688  INSPIRING   INFORMATION. 

When  the  march  was  resumed  they  passed  on  through  Uka- 
wendi,  amid  "  the  ruggedest  scenes."  We  are  told  that  the 
young  traveller  had  beheld  in  Africa  a  long  and  wearying  way, 
a  hunger-begetting  tramp,  "all  country,"  no  villages,  no  pec^le, 
no  food,  only  wild  herds  of  buffaloes,  and  tracks  of  the 
rhinoceros.  Then  by  the  village  of  Nzogera,  chief  of  the 
Wavinza,  where  food  was  bought  and  a  guide  obtained,  and  a 
stunning  blackmail  levied  to  spice  the  kindness,  and  introducing 
the  white  man  into  the  ways  of  Uvinza.  And  a  fair  specimen 
it  was  of  the  experiences  of  the  next  three  days  spent  in  crossing 
this  country :  over  and  over  were  like  taxes  made  before  thfi 
travellei's  reached  the  Malagarazi,  where  the  Wavinza  put  their 
final  demands  in  the  shape  of  ferriage,  and  Mr.  Stanley  was 
permitted  to  shake  the  dust  of  their  country  off  his  feet,  firmly 
convinced  that  these  same  Wavinza  were  woi'se  than  the  Ugogo, 
worse  than  any  people,  unqualifiedly  bad,  masters  in  the  Satanic 
art  of  badness. 

While  the  prominent  men  of  the  caravan  were  congratulating 
each  other  and  their  "master"  on  being  out  of  Uvinza,  another 
caravan  appeared  from  the  direction  of  Ujiji ;  this  turned  out  a 
caravan  of  Waguhha.  When  they  came  near,  Mr.  Stanley 
asked  the  news,  and  was  informed  that  a  white  man  had  just 
rtrrived  in  Ujiji  from  IManyuema.  He  was  startled,  and  his  men 
fully  shared  his  astonishment,  and  questions  and  answei'S  fol- 
lowed quickly. 

"A  white  man?"  they  asked. 

"  Yes,  a  white  man,"  was  the  reply. 

"  How  was  he  dressed  ?  " 

"  Ljkc  the  master,"  said  the  speaker,  pointing  to  Mr.  Stanley. 

"  Is  ho  young  or  old  ?  " 

"  He  is  old ;  he  has  white  hair  on  his  face,  and  is  sick." 

"  Where  has  he  come  from  ?  " 

"From  a  very  far  country,  away  beyond  Uguhha,  called 
Manyuema." 

"  Indeed  !  and  is  he  stopping  at  Ujiji  now?" 

"Yes,  we  saw  him  about  eight  days  ago." 

"Do  you  think  he  will  stop  there  until  we  see  him?" 

"  Don't  know." 

"Was  he  ever  in  Ujiji  before?  " 


THE   FORCED   MARCH.  691 

"Yes,  he  went  away  a  long  time  ago." 

There  could  be  no  doubt  about  it:  this  white  man  just  from 
Manyuema — old,  gray,  sick — must  be  Livingstone.  The  news 
sent  the  ardent  blood  of  Mr.  Stanley  bounding  through  his 
veins.  His  men  appreciated  his  enthusiasm  more  fully  than  we 
could  have  expected  of  them. 

After  a  short  march  they  came  into  the  borders  of  Uhha. 
Here  again  they  were  subjected  to  heavy  taxes,  and  in  two  days 
Mr.  Stanley  had  paid  over  to  the  petty  chieftains  no  less  than 
two  whole  bales  of  his  precious  cloth,  for  the  liberty  of  walking 
on  the  ground.  He  was  tempted  strongly  to  fight,  but  that 
would  endanger  the  expedition  ;  he  might  be  killed :  then  who 
would  relieve  the  sick  man  at  Ujiji?  That  would  not  do;  but 
he  would  be  robbed  of  all  before  he  reached  him:  then  how  could 
he  help  him?  That  must  not  be.  He  determined  on  making 
forced  wilderness  marches  across  the  inhospitable  country,  avoid- 
ing all  villages.  Provisions  were  prepared  for  four  days  under  the 
shadow  of  the  chief  who  had  taxed  him.  He  knew  that  there 
were  numbers  of  them  ahead  who  would  do  the  same  thing  if 
they  saw  him  ;  they  must  not  have  that  pleasure.  It  was  better 
to  bribe  a  guide  than  be  robbed  by  chiefs.  So  he  bribed  a  guide, 
and  making  a  noiseless  departure  in  the  night  from  the  village 
of  the  king's  brother,  he  began  a  long,  silent,  forced  march,  and 
in  three  days  they  crossed  the  Mkuti,  a  glorious  little  river, 
whose  rippling,  babbling  waters  seemed  to  enjoy  the  joke  which 
the  white  man  had  played  on  the  Wahha. 

The  next  day  brought  them  to  the  brow  of  the  hill,  whence 
looking  away  westward  the  eager  eye  of  enthusiastic  Stanley 
caught  the  first  view  of  Lake  Tanganyika.  It  was  nearly  the 
same  spot  from  which  Burton  obtained  the  view  which  he  has 
so  eloquently  desCTibed.  "  Nothing,  in  sooth,"  he  says,  "  cf)uld 
be  more  picturesque  than  this  first  view  of  the  Tanganyika  lake, 
as  it  lay  in  the  lap  of  the  mountains  basking  in  the  gorgeous 
tropical  sunshine.  Below  and  beyond  a  short  foreground  of 
rugged  and  precipitous  hill-fold,  down  which  the  footpath  zig- 
zags painfully,  a  narrow  strip  of  emerald  green,  never  sere  and 
marvellously  fertile,  shelves  toward  a  ribbon  of  glistening  yellow 
sand,  here  bordered  by  sedgy  rushes,  there  cleanly  and  clearly 
cut  by  breaking  wavelets.     Farther  in  front  stretch  the  waters, 


692  LAKE   TAXGANTIKA. 

un  expanse  of  the  lightest  and  softest  bhie,  iu  breadth  varying 
from  thirty  to  thirty-five  miles,  and  sprinkled  by  tlie  crisp  east 
wind  with  tiny  crescents  of  snowy  foam.  The  background  in 
front  is  a  high  and  broken  wall  of  steel-colored  mountain,  here 
flecked  and  capped  with  pearly  mists,  there  standing  sharply 
pencilled  against  the  azure  air  ;  its  yawning  chasms  marked  by 
a  deeper  plum-color,  fall  toward  dwarf  hills  of  mound-like  pro- 
portions, which  apparently  dip  their  feet  in  the  wave.  To  the 
south  and  opposite  the  long  low  point  behind  which  the  Mala- 
garazi  river  discharges  the  red  loam  suspended  in  its  volant 
stream,  lie  the  bluff  headlands  and  capes  of  Uguhha,  and  as 
the  eye  dilates  it  falls  upon  a  cluster  of  outlying  islets,  speckling 
a  sea-horizon.  Villages,  cultivated  lands,  the  frequent  canoes 
of  fishermen  on  the  waters,  and  on  a  nearer  approach  the  mur^ 
murs  of  the  waves  breaking  on  the  shore,  give  something  of 
variety,  of  movement,  of  life  to  the  landscape,  which  like  all  the 
iairest  prospects  in  these  regions  want  but  a  little  of  the  neatness 
and  finish  of  art — mosques  and  kiasks,  palaces  and  villas,  gar- 
dens and  orchards,  contrasting  with  the  profuse  lavishness  aiid 
magnificence  of  nature,  and  diversifying  the  unbroken  vegeta- 
tion— to  rival  if  not  excel  the  most  admired  scenery  of  the  classic 
regions.  The  giant  shores  of  this  vast  crevasse  appeared  doubly 
beautiful  after  the  silent  and  spectral  mangrove  creeks  of  the 
sea-board,  and  the  melancholy,  monotonous  experience  of  desert 
and  jungle  scenery,  tawny  rock  and  sun-parched  plain,  rank 
herbage  and  flats  of  black  mire."  It  was  such  a  scene  as  any 
man  would  consider  a  compensation  for  all  the  toils  and  vexations 
•)f  the  long  way  by  which  it  is  reached. 

But  there  were  charms  in  Tanganyika  for  Mr.  Stanley  -svhich 
were  not  there  for  Burton.  There  by  the  side  of  the  beautiful 
water  was  the  noble  old  man  whom  he  had  come  to  Africa  to 
find  and  relieve.  He  "descended  the  western  slope  of  the 
mountain  with  the  Liuche  river  before  him,  and  in  an  hour 
came  to  the  thick  matete  brake  which  grows  on  both  banks  of 
it;  then  wading  tiirough  the  clear  stream  they  emerged  from 
the  brake  and  stood  surrounded  by  the  gardens  of  Ujiji,  a  marvel 
of  vegetable  wealth.  Almost  overpowered  by  emotion,  Mr. 
Stanley  could  hardly  see  the  graceful  })alms,  neat  plats,  and 
small   villages   with   frail   fences  of  cane.     He   pushed   along 


TRIUMPHAL   APrROACII.  693 

rapidly  at  the  head  of  his  caravan,  lest  the  news  of  liis  coming 
sliould  reach  the  people  of  Bunder  Ujiji  before  he  came  in  sight. 
Presently  he  reached  the  summit  of  the  last  of  the  little  ridges, 
and  the  famous  port  of  Ujiji  embowered  in  palms  lay  below, 
not  five  hundred  yards  away."  lie  did  not  think  of  the  hun- 
dreds of  miles  he  had  marched,  of  the  hundreds  of  hills  he  had 
ascended  and  descended,  of  the  ibrcsts  and  jungles  and  varied 
plains  and  scorching  suns.  They  were  past ;  the  fondest  hopes 
were  to  be  realized ;  in  a  few  moments  he  should  see  Dr.  Living- 
stone ;  the  Samaritan  was  at  hand.  The  perplexity  of  Living- 
stone had  become  extremity ;  God  made  it  an  opportunity.  Mr. 
Stanley  gave  the  command  : 

"  Unfurl  the  flags  and  load  your  guns." 

"Ay,  Wallah,  ay,  Wallah,  bana!"  was  the  answering  shout 
of  the  men,  and  quicker,  than  we  can  write  it  the  flags  were 
unfurled  and  the  guns  ready. 

"  One,  two,  three — fire !  "  and  a  volley  from  nearly  fifty  guns 
roared  like  a  salute  from  a  battery  of  artillery. 

"  Now,  Kirangozi,"  shouted  Stanley,  "  hold  the  white  man's 
flag  up  high,  and  let  the  Zanzibar  flag  bring  up  the  rear ;  and 
you  men  keep  close  together  and  keep  firing  until  we  halt  in 
the  market-place  or  before  the  white  man's  house ;  there  are  fish 
and  bear  and  a  long  rest  for  you — march." 

Before  they  had  gone  a  hundred  yards  the  repeated  volleys 


commof, 


B> 


had  waked  Ujiji  to  the  knowledge  that  a  caravan  was 
mid  the  people  went  rushing  to  meet  them.  Dr  Livingstone 
also  had  heard  those  volleys.  We  may  not  know  what  thoughts 
flashed  through  his  mind :  what  hopes  bounded  in  his  heart. 
Susi  and  Chuma  went  bounding  away  with  the  multitude — 
there  were  Wanyamwezi,  Wangwana,  Warundi,  Waguhha, 
Wamanyuema  and  Arabs — all  thronging  about  the  caravan 
with  their  salutations — all  gazing  with  admiration  on  the  beau- 
tiful bindere  Merikani  (Americ^an  flag). 

Suddenly  !Mr.  Stanley  heard  a  voice  in  the  crowd  on  his  right 
say: 

"Good-morning,  sir." 

Startled  to  hear  these  familiar  words  in  such  a  crowd  he 
turned  quickly  to  find  the  man  who  uttered  them.  That  man 
was  riglit  by  his  side,  with  the  blackest  of  faces,  but  all  ani- 


694  susr  and  ciiuma. 

mated  and  joyous  ;  he  was  a  picture  for  the  artist  as  he  stood 
there,  dressed  in  his  long  white  shirt,  with  a  turban  of  American 
sheeting  around  liis  woolly  head.  As  Mr.  Stanley  gazed  at  this 
apparition,  he  exclaimed : 

"  Who  the  mischief  are  you  ?  " 

"I  am  Susi,  sir,  the  servant  of  Dr.  Livingstone,"  came  the 
answer,  while  the  speaker  smiled — a  broad,  grand,  teeth-dis- 
playing smile. 

"  What,  is  Dr.  Livingstone  here  ?  " 

"Yes,  sir." 

"In  this  village?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Are  you  sure  ?  " 

"Sure,  sure,  sir;  why  I  leave  him  just  now." 

Just  then  a  second  voice  broke  in  with  : 

"  Good-morning,  sir." 

"  Hallo !  is  this  another  one  ?  "  said  Stanley. 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Well,  what  is  your  name  ?  " 

"  My  name  is  Chuma,  sir." 

"  What!  are  you  Chuma,  the  friend  of  Wekotani  ?" 

"Yes,  sir." 

"And  is  the  doctor  well  ?  " 

"  Not  very  well,  sir." 

"  Where  has  he  been  so  long  ?  " 

"In  Manyuema." 

"  Now  you,  Susi,"  said  Mr.  Stanley,  "  run  and  tell  the  doctor 
I  am  coming." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  and  off  Susi  darted  like  a  madman  with  the 
welcome  news. 

Hearing  the  news  the  doctor  had  come  out  in  front  of  his 
house,  and  stood  surrounded  by  a  number  of  influential  Arabs 
awaiting  the  arrival. 

Very  soon  Mr.  Stanley  came  near  enough  to  see  him ;  tliere 
he  stood,  an  old  man  indeed,  with  gray  hair  and  beard.  As  he 
ai)proached  at  the  head  of  his  caravan  he  took  oflP  his  hat,  his 
men  halted.     Mr.  Stanley  walked  forward  and  said : 

"Dr.  Ijivingstone,  I  presume?" 

"Yes,"  replied  the  doctor,  with  a  kindly  smile,  lifting  his 
cap  slightly. 


"tue  meeting."  697 

Both  the  men  then  replaced  their  hats  and  grasped  hands. 
There  were  few  words. 

"I  thank  God,  doctor,  that  I  have  been  permitted  to 
see  you." 

"  I  feel  very  thankful  tliat  I  am  here  to  welcome  you." 

The  introduction  was  finished,  the  acquaintance  was  formed; 
and  the  old  man  introduced  his  new  friend  to  the  Arab  digni- 
taries by  name,  and  led  the  way  to  the  broad  verandah  of  his 
house.  They  were  soon  seated — the  two  men — side  by  side, 
with  their  backs  to  the  wall  of  the  house,  engaged  in  earnest 
(conversation  ;  and  it  was  not  long  before  Mr.  Stanley  found 
iiimself  enacting  the  part  of  a  regular  periodical.  Referring  to 
this  conversation,  the  doctor  says  : 

"  The  news  he  had  to  tell  to  one  who  had  been  two  full  years 
without  any  tidings  from  Europe  made  my  whole  frame  thrill. 
The  terrible  fate  that  had  befallen  France,  the  telegraphic 
cables  successfully  laid  in  the  Atlantic,  the  election  of  General 
Grant,  the  death  of  good  Lord  Clarendon,  my  constant  friend ; 
the  proof  that  Her  Majesty's  Government  had  not  forgotten  me, 
in  voting  .£1000  for  supplies,  and  fnany  other  points  of  interest, 
revived  emotions  that  had  lain  dormant  in  Manyuema." 

"VVe  cannot  follow  the  conversation.  The  man  who  was 
telling  the  news  was  accustomed  to  that  sort  of  thing,  and  the 
listener  heard  with  unspeakable  delight.  It  was  like  coming 
back  to  earth  from  the  grave. 

After  a  while  the  Arabs  left,  and  very  soon  there  came  back 
very  nice,  sav6ry  dishes  from  their  majesties,  and  a  royal 
dinner  was  spread  ;  but  the  dinner  did  not  interrupt  the  conver- 
sation— eating  and  talking,  and  talking  and  eating,  the  time 
passed  rapidly  away.  It  was  late  before  the  gentlemen  parted 
— Mr.  Stanley  to  review  his  success  in  joyous  dreams,  and  Dr. 
Livingstone  to  read  his  letters.  Up  to  that  time  !Mr.  Stanley 
had  withholden  the  nature  of  his  mission.  The  next  morning, 
when  they  met,  lie  opened  the  conversation  by  saying : 

"  Now,  doctor,  you  are  probably  wondering  why  I  came 
here." 

"  It  is  true,"  said  the  doctor,  "  I  have  been  wondering.  I 
thought  you,  at  first,  to  be  an  emissary  of  the  French  Govern- 
ment in  the  place  of  Lieutenant  Le  Saint,  who  died  a  few  miles 


698  THE   REVELATION    MADE. 

above  Gondokoro.  I  heard  you  had  boats,  plenty  of  men  and 
stores,  and  I  really  believed  you  were  some  French  officer  until 
I  saw  the  American  flag;  and  to  tell  the  truth,  I  was  rather 
glad  it  was  so,  because  I  could  not  have  talked  to  him  in 
French,  and  if  he  did  not  know  English,  we  would  have  been 
a  pretty  pair  of  white  men  in  Ujiji.  I  did  not  like  to  ask  you 
yesterday,  because  it  was  none  of  my  business." 

''Well,"  said  Stanley,  laughing,  "for  your  sake  I  am  glad 
that  I  am  an  American  and  not  a  Frenchman,  and  that  we  can 
understand  each  other  perfectly  without  an  interpreter.  I  see 
the  Arabs  are  wondering  that  you,  an  Englishman,  and  I,  an 
American,  can  understand  each  other.  We  must  take  care  not 
to  tell  them  that  tiie  English  and  Americans  have  fough.t,  and 
that  there  are 'Alabama'  claims  left  unsettled,  and  that  we  have 
such  persons  as  Fenians  in  America,  who  hate  you.  But 
seriously,  doctor — now  don't  be  frightened  when  I  tell  you  that 
I  have  come  after — 3/oi(." 

"After  me?" 

"Yes." 

"How?" 

Then  followed  the  recital  of  the  interest  which  Mr.  Bennett 
had  felt  in  the  great  traveller,  of  his  calling  Mr.  Stanley  to 
him,  his  liberality  in  fitting  out  the  expedition,  of  his  com- 
mission— "  Find  Livingstone." 

We  already  know  the  destitution  to  which  Dr.  Livingstone 
had  been  reduced,  and  the  dreadful  anxieties  which  were 
weighing  on  his  mind  and  heart.  Words  could  hardly  express 
the  gratitude  he  felt  for  this  unexpected  and  unprecedented 
kindne&s.  More  than  all,  he  saw  the  hand  of  his  God  in  the 
deliverance  which  had  come  so  opportunely.  God  had  never 
failed  him.  It  seemed  like  a  pledge  of  success  in  his  cherished 
enterprise.  It  renewed  his  courage  and  strength.  Some  men 
would  have  thought  of  home,  would  have  gone  home.  He  did 
not  recognize  this  as  a  call  home,  but  as  a  renewal  of  his  com- 
mission in  Africa,  and  he  received  it  with  the  deepest  thank- 
fulness. 

The  days  passed  pleasantly.  The  good  cheer  and  the  good 
food  provided  by  Mr.  Stanley  acted  like  a  charm  on  the  sick 
man,  and   soon    he  was  himself  again.     Then   came  a  short 


A   CRUISE   ON   TUE   LAKE.  $99 

cruise  on  the  lak?,  a  charming  excursion  in  the  estimation  of 
tne  Old  traveller  who  had  been  so  long  plodding  about  the 
country  on  foot.  Gliding  along  on  the  silvery  surface,  sur- 
rounded by  splendid  scenery,  hardly  seemed  to  him  like 
exploring.  The  principal  object,  however,  was  to  settle  the 
question  of  a  northern  outlet.  It  had  been  a  favorite  theory, 
that  there  was  probably  a  connecting  link  between  the  Tangan- 
yika and  the  Albert  N'Yanza  of  Baker.  If  this  was  correct,  it 
was  very  important  that  it  be  known  to  be  so ;  if  it  was  not 
correct,  the  world  was  equally  anxious  to  know  it.  Like  many 
a  pet  theory,  this  one  vanished  when  the  touchstone  of  actual 
observation  was  applied.  The  rivers  all  were  found  flowing 
into  Tanganyika,  Nothing  was  found  out  which  afforded  any 
satisfaction  so  far  as  the  possible  importance  of  this  great  inland 
sea  in  connection  with  the  wonderful  river  of  Egypt.  The 
travellers  had  the  pleasure  of  following  the  coast  around  for 
many  miles,  diving  in  and  out  of  innumerable  rivers  and  creeks, 
sailing  under  the  shadow  of  towering  cliffs  and  by  beautiful 
banks  stretching  away  in  lawn-like  beauty.  Several  times  they 
were  in  danger  of  being  forced  to  defend  themselves  with  their 
guns  against  presumptuous  savages.  They  both  enjoyed  ifc 
exceedingly.  To  Dr.  Livingstone  it  was  a  grand  picnic.  When 
they  returned  to  Ujiji  Dr.  Livingstone  began  the  preparation  of 
letters  to  be  committed  to  the  hands  of  Mr.  Stanley,  and  Mr. 
Stanley  took  fever — one  was  quite  as  natural  as  the  other. 
Christmas  came,  and  it  was  resolved  to  observe  the  day  with 
the  time-honored  custom  of  a  feast.  What  a  contrast  was 
promised  to  many  of  the  Christmas  days  which  the  doctor  could 
remember !  There  were  fat  broad-tail  sheep,  goats,  zogga  and 
pombe,  eggs,  fresh  milk,  plantains,  sengwe,  fine  corn  flour, 
fish,  onions,  sweet  potatoes.  But  alas !  Ferajji  spoiled  the 
roast,  and  the  custard  was  burned. 

Dr.  Livingstone  had  decided  to  accompany  Mr.  Stanley  as 
far  as  Unyanyembe,  where  he  hoped  he  would  find  goods,  and 
where  he  proposed  to  remain  until  reliable  men  could  be  sent 
him  from  Zanzibar,  with  whom  to  renew  his  efforts  to  solve  the 
Nile  problem.  To  all  of  Mr.  Stanley's  argunlents  about  going 
home  he  replied:  "No.  I  should  like  to  see  my  family  very 
much  indeed  ;  my  children's  letters  affect  me  intensely ;  but  I 
must  not  go  home ;  I  must  finish  my  task." 


CHAPTER    XXXIII. 

A   JOURNEY  AND   A   DELAY. 

From  Fjiji  to  Unyanyembe — Livingstone  a  Companion — Route  Adopted — Forest 
Entertainment — Methods  of  Hunting — Makonibwe  Hunting  Hippopotamus — 
Baker's  Rhinoceros  Hunt — Wild  Race — "A  Horse !  a  Horse !  " — Sword  wins 
the  Day — Stanley  as  Hunter — Tent-Life — Arrive  at  Kwihara — Home-Life — 
Busy  Preparations — Livingstone  Abundantly  Provided  for — Farewell  of  Wan- 
yamwezi — A  Wild  Dance — The  Farewell  Song  — The  Parting— Bagamoyo 
Again — The  English  Expedition — Oswald  Livingstone — Caravan  Sent  Back — 
The  Mission  Completed — England,  Livingstone,  Stanley,  the  World — Comfort 
in  Disappointment  —  Livingstone  in  Unyanyembe  —  His  Occupation — His 
Modesty — His  Zeal  for  Missions — The  Country  Inviting — A  Robinson  Crusoe 
Life — The  Mothers  of  the  Country — The  Call  to  Missionaries — "Advice  to 
Missionaries  " — "  No  Jugglery  or  Sleight-of-hand  " — Livingstone's  Interest 
General — Grasp  and  Minuteness — Suspense  Ended— Stanley  in  England — The 
Queen's  Acknowledgment. 

The  journey  from  Ujiji  to  Unyanyembe  occupied  nearly 
seven  weeks.  Much  of  the  country  traversed  passed  under  our 
eye  as  we  traced  Mr.  Stanley's  march  to  the  lake.  Those 
splendid  park  lands  which  so  charmed  him  then  were  the  same 
matchless  theatres  for  wild  adventure,  and  his  spirit,  doubly 
buoyant  in  the  joy  of  his  success,  revelled  peculiarly  in  the 
wealth  of  incident  which  each  day  afforded.  And  the  old 
traveller,  whose  heart  had  become  very  tender  toward  the 
young  man  whose  noble  mission  had  revived  his  hope  and 
"put  new  life"  into  his  feeble  frame,  enjoyed  the  enthusiasm 
which  reminded  him  of  the  years  long  ago  when  he  travelled 
with  his  friend  Oswell,  and  witnessed  the  delight  of  Gordon 
Gumming  in  his  wonderful  engagements  with  the  monsters  of 
the  forest.  Dr.  Livingstone  had  already  endeared  himself  to 
his  companion  by  the  exhibition  of  many  lovely  traits;  his 
kindness  and  gentleness  were  always  conspicuous,  and  the 
interest  which  he  manifested  in  the  successes  or  failures  of  the 
young  Nimrod,  the  zest  with  which  he  participated  in  all  the 
adventures  of  the  journey — which  to  him  must  have  been  comr 
700 


A   HELPFUL   FRIEND.  701 

monplace — gave  him  a  warmer  place  still  in  the  big  American 
heart.  The  travellers  had  wisely  avoided  the  troublesome 
Wahha  and  Wavinzaby  making  the  earlier  part  of  their  journey 
along  the  lake ;  they  were  not  therefore  harassed  by  those  extor- 
tions which  so  frequently  spoil  the  pleasantest  experiences  of 
such  a  march.  The  personal  followers  of  I^ivingstone  and 
Stanley — indeed,  their  entire  caravan — shared  the  good  humor 
of  their  masters.  There  were  adventures  with  lions  and  ele- 
phants and  rhinoceroses  and  hippopotami  and  leopards,  and 
buffaloes,  zebras  and  giraffes  and  elands  passed  in  constant 
review.  And  beautiful  strange  birds  and  comical  monkeys  had 
their  part  in  the  programme  with  which  the  wonderful  country 
entertained  its  visitors.  Sometimes  these  actors  produced  most 
moving  impressions  on  their  audience.  Mr.  Stanley  had  oppor- 
tunities of  testing  the  strength  of  his  nerves  face  to  face  with 
various  members  of  the  troupe ;  and  often  he  needed  the  timely 
comfort  which  his  experienced  friend  could  give,  and  the  hints 
which  thirty  years  in  Africa  could  suggest  were  of  greatest 
service.  We  have  become  tolerably  familiar  with  most  of  these 
animals,  and  have  learned  reasonably  well  how  to  rank  them ; 
but  the  different  methods  of  hunting  which  obtain  in  different 
sections  of  Africa  affect  considerably  the  hunter's  selection  of 
his  game ;  and  the  different  methods  pursued  by  civilized  and 
savage  hunters  make  a  great  difference  in  the  peril  or  sport 
attending  the  chase  of  different  animals.  The  great  unwieldy 
hippopotamus,  for  instance,  to  an  American  or  Englishman, 
armed  with  his  powerful  rifle,  loaded  with  hardened  balls,  is 
often  dull  work,  little  better  as  sport  than  shooting  an  ox  at 
home.  But  there  are  hippopotamus  hunters  in  Africa  M'ho,  ac- 
cording to  Dr.  Livingstone's  ideas  of  such  matters,  make  the 
bravest  work  of  it  that  he  ever  witnessed.  These  hunters,  who 
are  distinguished  for  their  wonderful  courage  far  and  wide,  are 
called  Makombwe.  When  they  go  forth  to  their  gallant  sport 
each  canoe  is  manned  by  two  men ;  they  are  long,  light  craft, 
scarcely  half  an  inch  in  thickness,  about  eighteen  inches  beam, 
and  from  eighteen  to  twenty  feet  long.  They  are  formed  for 
speed,  and  shaped  somewhat  like  our  racing  boats.  Each  man 
uses  a  broad,  short  paddle,  and  as  they  guide  the  canoe  slowly 
down  stream  to  a  sleeping  hippopotamus  not  a  single  ripple  Ls 


702  HIPPOPOTAMUS   HUNTING. 

raised  on  the  smooth  water ;  they  look  as  if  holding  in  their 
breath,  and  communicate  by  signs  only.  As  they  come  near  the 
prey  the  harpooner  in  the  bow  lays  down  his  paddle  and  rises 
slowly  up,  and  there  he  stands  erect,  motionless,  and  eager,  with 
the  long-handled  weapon  poised  at  arm's  length  above  his  head, 
till  coming  close  to  the  beast  he  plunges  it  with  all  his  might  in 
towards  the  heart.  Daring  this  exciting  feat  he  has  to  keep  his 
balance  exactly.  His  neighbor  in  the  stern  at  once  backs  his 
paddle,  the  harpooner  sits  down,  seizes  his  paddle,  and  backs  too 
to  escape:  the  animal,  surprised  and  wounded,  seldom  returns 
the  attack  at  this  stage  of  the  hunt.  The  next  stage,  however, 
is  full  of  danger. 

The  barbed  blade  of  the  harpoon  is  secured  by  a  long  and 
very  strong  rope  wound  round  the  handle :  it  is  intended  to 
come  out  of  its  socket,  and  while  the  iron  head  is  firmly  fixed 
in  the  animal's  body  the  rope  unwinds  and  the  handle  floats  on 
the  surface.  The  hunter  next  goes  to  the  handle  and  hauls  on 
the  rope  till  he  knows  that  he  is  right  over  the  beast :  when  he 
feels  the  line  suddenly  slacken  he  is  prepared  to  deliver  another 
harpoon  the  instant  that  hippo. 's  enormous  jaws  appear  with  a 
terrible  gruqt  above  the  water.  The  backing  by  the  paddles  is 
again  repeated,  but  hippo,  often  assaults  the  canoe,  crunches  it 
with  his  great  jaws  as  easily  as  a  pig  would  a  bunch  of  aspara- 
gus, or  shivers  it  with  a  kick  by  his  hind  foot.  Deprived  of 
their  canoe  the  gallant  comrades  instantly  dive  and  swim  to  the 
shore  under  water :  they  say  that  the  infuriated  beast  looks  for 
them  on  the  surface,  and  being  below  they  escape  his  sight. 
When  caught  by  many  harpoons  the  crews  of  several  canoes 
seize  the  handles  and  drag  him  hither  and  thither  till,  weakened 
by  loss  of  blood,  he  succumbs. 

The  rhinoceros  is  hardly  a  more  interesting  game  than  the 
hippopotamus  in  the  regions  where  travellers  are  denied  the 
privilege  of  carrying  horses  by  the  fatal  tsetse.  It  is  formidable 
anywhere  of  course,  but  it  is  questionable  whether  the  bravest 
hunter  enjoys  any  part  of  an  engagement  with  a  really  dangerous 
animal  so  much  as  the  chase.  There  cannot  be  very  much  en- 
joyment in  standing  with  a  rifle  in  hand  and  killing  an  elephant, 
or  lion,  or  rhinoceros,  while  the  victim  is  in  repose;  and  there 
is  no  special  valor  about  it.     But  we  can  understand  the  enthu- 


A    HOESE   IN  THE   HUNT.  703 

siasm  witli  whicli  a  man  narrates  such  hunting  adventures  as 
Baker  and  Oswell  or  Gumming  had.  A  horso  puts  life  into 
the  sports  of  the  tropics.  We  remember  a  scene  which 
Baker  describes  in  his  "Nile,"  that  represents  the  perfection 
of  rhinoceros  hunting,  and  the  distinguished  traveller  de- 
scribes the  chase  with  an  enthusiasm  quite  worthy  of  his 
theme.  It  was  in  Abyssinia.  He  had  left  his  camp  in  company 
with  a  party  of  aggageers,  those  expert  sword-hunters,  whose 
wonderful  dexterity  we  have  mentioned  before,  and  after  spend- 
ing most  of  the  day  in  collecting  gum  was  returning,  when  at  a 
most  unexpected  moment  he  discovered  a  fine  brace  of  rhi- 
noceroses asleep  beneath  a  thick  mass  of  bushes ;  handing  his 
reins  to  a  follower  he  walked  quietly  to  within  about  thirty 
yards  of  his  game;  but  before  he  could  take  aim  they  both 
sprang  suddenly  to  their  feet  with  astonishing  agility,  and  the 
next  instant  one  of  them  charged  straight  at  him.  The  ball  of 
his  rifle  only  served  to  turn  the  assailant,  and  the  two  animals 
went  thundering  off  together;  and  away  went  the  aggageers  in 
pursuit.  Mr.  Baker  himself,  springing  into  his  saddle,  joined 
the  chase,  which  we  will  allow  him  to  tell  in  his  own  words : 

"  The  ground  was  awkward  for  riding  at  full  speed,  as  it  was 
an  open  forest  of  mimosas,  which  though  wide  apart  were  very 
difficult  to  avoid  owing  to  the  low  crowns  of  spreading  branches ; 
these,  being  armed  with  fishhook  thorns,  would  have  been 
serious  on  a  collision.  I  kept  the  party  in  view  until  iu  about 
a  mile  we  arrived  upon  open  ground.  Here  I  again  applied  the 
spurs,  and  by  degrees  I  crept  up,  always  gaining,  until  at  length 
I  joined  the  aggageers.  Here  was  a  sight  to  drive  a  hunter 
wild  !  The  two  rhinoceroses  were  running  neck  and  neck  like 
a  pair  of  horses  in  harness,  but  bounding  along  at  a  tremendous 
speed  within  ten  yards  of  the  leading  Hamran.  This  was  Taher 
Sherrif,  who,  with  his  sword  drawn  and  his  long  hair  flying 
wildly  behind  him,  urged  his  horse  forward  in  the  race,  amidst 
a  cloud  of  dust  raised  by  the  two  huge  but  active  beasts,  that 
tried  every  sinew  of  the  horses.  Kodcr  Sherrif,  with  the  with- 
ered arm,  was  second;  with  the  reins  hung  over  the  hawk-like 
claw  which  was  all  that  remained  of  a  hand,  butAvith  his  naked 
sword  grasped  in  the  right,  he  kept  close  to  his  brother,  ready 
to  second  his  blow.  Abou  Do  was  third;  his  hair  flying  in  the 
36 


704  A   RHINOCEROS    HUNT. 

Avind,  Ills  heels  dashing  against  the  flanks  of  his  horse,  to  which 
he  shouted  in  his  excitement  to  urge  hira  to  the  front,  while  he 
leaned  forward  with  his  long  sword,  in  the  wild  energy  of  the 
moment,  as  though  hoping  to  reach  the  game  against  all  possi- 
bility. Now  for  the  spurs !  And  as  these,  vigorously  applied, 
screwed  an  extra  stride  out  of  Tetel,  I  soon  found  myself  in  the 
ruck  of  men,  horses,  and  drawn  swords.  There  were  seven  of 
us,  and  passing  Abou  Do,  whose  face  wore  an  expression  of 
agony  at  finding  that  his  horse  was  failing,  I  quickly  obtained 
a  place  between  the  two  brothers,  Taher  and  Roder  Sherrif. 
There  had  been  a  jealousy  between  the  two  parties  of  aggageers 
and  each  was  striving  to  outdo  the  other ;  thus  Abou  Do  was 
driven  to  madness  at  the  superiority  of  Taher's  horse,  while  the 
latter,  who  was  the  renowned  hunter  of  the  tribe,  was  deter- 
mined that  his  sword  should  be  the  first  to  taste  blood.  I  tried 
to  pass  the  rhinoceros  on  my  left,  so  as  to  fire  close  into  the 
shoulder  my  remaining  barrel  with  my  right  hand,  but  it  was 
impossible  to  overtake  the  animals  and  they  bounded  along  with 
undiminished  speed.  With  the  greatest  exertion  of  men  and 
horses  we  could  only  retain  our  position  within  three  or  four 
yards  of  their  tails,  just  out  of  reach  of  the  swords.  The  only 
chance  in  the  race  was  to  hold  the  pace  until  the  rhinoceroses 
should  begin  to  flag.  The  hordes  were  pressed  to  the  uttermost, 
but  we  had  already  run  about  two  miles  and  the  game  showed 
no  signs  of  giving  in.  On  they  flew :  sometimes  over  open 
ground,  or  through  low  brush,  which  tried  the  horses  severely ; 
then  through  strips  of  open  forest,  until  at  length  the  party  be- 
gan to  tail  off  and  only  a  select  few  kept  their  places.  We  ar- 
rived at  the  summit  of  a  ridge  from  which  the  ground  sloped 
in  a  gentle  inclination  for  about  a  mile  towards  the  river;  at 
the  foot  of  this  incline  was  a  thick,  thorny,  nabbuk  jungle,  for 
which  impenetrable  covert  the  rhinoceroses  pressed  at  their  ut- 
most speed.  Never  was  there  better  ground  for  the  finish  of  a 
race;  the  earth  was  sandy  but  firm,  and  as  we  saw  the  winning- 
post  in  the  jungle  that  must  terminate  the  hunt,  we  redoubled 
our  exertions  to  close  with  the  unflagging  game.  Sulieman's 
horse  gave  in.  We  had  been  for  twenty  minutes  at  a  killing  pace. 
Tetel,  although  not  a  fast  horse,  was  good  for  a  distance,  and  he 
now  proved  his  power  of  endurance,  as  I  was  riding  at  least 


"a  horse!  a  noRSE!"  707 

two  stone  heavier  than  any  of  the  party.  Only  seven  remained ; 
and  we  swept  down  the  incline,  Taher  Sherrif  still  leading  and 
Abou  Do  the  last !  His  horse  was  done  but  not  the  rider,  for 
springing  to  the  ground  while  at  full  speed,  sword  in  hand,  he 
forsook  his  tired  horse  and  preferred  his  own  legs;  he  ran  like 
an  antelope  for  the  first  hundred  yards.  I  thought  he  would 
really  pass  us  and  win  the  honor  of  the  first  blow.  It  was  of 
no  use,  the  pace  was  too  severe,  and  although  running  wonder- 
fully he  was  obliged  to  give  way  to  the  horses.  Only  three  now 
followed  the  rhinoceroses — Taher  Sherrif,  his  brother  Roder  and 
myself.  I  had  been  obliged  to  give  the  second  place  to  Roder, 
as  he  was  a  mere  monkey  in  weight,  but  I  was  a  close  third. 
The  excitement  was  intense.  We  neared  the  jungle  and  the  rhi- 
noceroses began  to  show  signs  of  flagging  as  the  dust  puffed  up 
before  their  nostrils,  and  with  noses  close  to  the  ground  they 
snorted  as  they  still  galloped  on.  Oh,  for  a  fresh  horse  !  'A 
horse !  a  horse !  my  kingdom  for  a  horse ! '  We  were  within  two 
hundred  yards  of  the  jungle,  but  the  horses  were  all  done.  Tctcl 
reeled  as  I  urged  him  forward;  Roder  pushed  ahead.  We  were 
close  to  the  dense  thorns  and  the  rhinoceroses  broke  into  a  trot; 
they  were  done!  One  moment  more  and  the  sword  flashed  in 
the  sunshine  as  the  rearmost  rhinoceros  disappeared  in  the  thick 
screen  of  thorns  with  a  gash  about  a  foot  long  upon  his  hind- 
quarters. Taher  Sherrif  shook  his  bloody  sword  in  trium])h 
above  his  head,  but  the  rhinoceros  was  gone.  We  were  fairly 
beaten,  regularly  outpaced;  but  I  believe  another  two  hundred 
yards  would  have  given  us  the  victory.  '  Bravo !  Taher ! '  I 
shouted.  He  had  ridden  splendidly,  and  his  blow  had  been 
marvellously  delivered  at  an  extremely  long  reach,  as  he  Avas 
nearly  out  of  his  saddle  v/hen  he  sprang  forward  to  enable 
the  blade  to  attain  a  cut  at  the  last  moment." 

Mr.  Stanley  was  not  encouraged  to  put  very  much  confidence 
in  the  wonderful  stories  of  tropical  hunters  by  his  own  ex- 
perience. He  was  more  fortunate  in  his  assaults  on  the  beautiful 
zebras  and  hartbeests  and  giraffes  than  on  lions,  elephants,  and 
the  rhinoceros.  He  seemed  formed  for  managing  men  rather 
than  killing  beasts  ;  he  was  more  of  a  general  than  a  butcher, 
and  lost  nothing  on  that  account  in  the  estimation  of  Dr.  Living- 
stone.   There  is  a  sort  of  exhilaration  felt  in  reading  the  narratives 


708  THE  TEMBE   AT   KWIHARA. 

of  bold  encounters  of  men  with  tlie  ferocious  monsters  of  these 
wild  regions,  but  the  man  himself  does  not  appear  nobler  or 
more  lovely  in  our  eyes  because  he  "  bags  three  lions  in  one 
day,"  or  sends  a  bullet  crashing  through  the  skull  of  an  elephant 
just  in  time  to  save  himself  from  a  dreadful  death  beneath  the 
monster's  feet.  Livingstone  was  no  hunter,  but  his  name  will 
be  a  magic  word  in  our  homes,  arousing  us  to  noble  action  and 
lofty  courage  when  all  the  catalogue  of  dashing  sportsmen  are 
forgotten.  It  is  a  relief  in  the  midst  of  the  wildness  to  think  of 
the  quiet  home-like  conversations  which  beguiled  the  evenings 
in  the  camp  of  these  two  men.  One  of  them  better  informed 
about  the  dark  continent  of  Africa  than  any  other  living  man, 
and  accustomed  to  grave  reflection  on  all  that  he  saw  there:  the 
other  fresh  from  travelling  the  world  over,  with  the  careful  eye 
and  retentive  memory  which  distinguish  men  whose  business 
it  is  to  keep  the  world  informed  about  itself.  Sometimes  there 
were  hard,  trying  experiences  too.  Mr.  Stinley  suffered  fre- 
quently with  fever ;  once  or  twice  they  lackeu  bread  and  wearied 
of  wild  meat.  And  so  with  varying  experiences  they  pursued 
their  march,  helping  each  other  with  kind  words  and  deeds,  until 
they  came  among  the  welcome  scenes  of  Unyanyembe. 

It  was  on  the  18th  of  February,  the  fifty-third  day  from  Ujiji, 
that  they  entered  the  valley  of  Kwihara,  with  flags  unfurled 
and  guns  firing  triumphantly.  And  it  was  a  proud  moment  for 
the  young  leader  of  the  Herald  expedition  when  he  welcomed 
Dr.  Livingstone  to  his  house.  Since  the  day  that  he  parted 
with  the  Arabs,  sick  and  almost  weary  of  his  life,  strengthened 
only  by  the  inspiration  of  his  mission,  he  had  travelled  more 
than  twelve  hundred  miles,  and  just  one  hundred  and  thirty-one 
days  had  elapsed ;  but  what  vicissitudes  were  crowded  in  those 
days,  and  how  had  he  been  favored  by  the  Providence  that  ruletli 
over  all ! 

Some  of  Dr.  Livingstone's  own  stores  were  in  waiting  for  him 
at  Unyanyembe,  and  large  quantities  which  had  been  left  there 
by  Mr.  Stanley.  It  was  indeed  an  abundant  reward  for  all  the 
toil  to  see  the  happy  face  of  the  great  traveller.  The  house  was 
a  palace  compared  with  the  hut  in  which  he  was  living  at 
Ujiji.  The  storerooms  were  full  of  the  good  things  of  this  life, 
besides  cloth,  beads,  wire  and  the  thousand  and  one  impedimenta 


'^TIIE  MISSION  ACCOMPLISHED."  700 

and  paraphernalia  of  travel  with  which  Mr.  Stanley  had  laden 
one  hundred  and  fifty  men  at  Bagaraoyo.  There  were  seventy- 
four  loads  of  miscellaneous  things,  and  the  most  valuable  of 
these  were  to  be  turned  over  to  Dr.  Livingstone.  What  a 
change,  what  a  deliverance,  what  a  godsend  to  that  weary, 
anxious  heart  was  the  realization  of  this  assistance?  Now  he 
could  think  of  the  Nile  again ;  he  could  plan  his  route ;  he  could 
form  all  his  plans ;  he  could  write  his  letters  to  his  friends  in 
England  telling  them  what  he  proposed  to  do,  for  the  means 
were  in  his  hand.  He  was  not  a  beggar  j  he  was  independent 
once  more. 

Mr.  Stanley's  mission  was  now  accomplished,  and  his  duty 
called  him  homeward.  The  noble  man  who  had  sent  him  forth 
so  benevolently  was  waiting  for  a  report;  the  world  was  waiting 
to  be  relieved  of  its  suspense  about  Livingstone.  The  goods, 
boxes  and  bales  were  overhauled.  They  had  not  been  inviolate 
entirely;  of  course  the  thieves  had  levied  their  tax ;  some  of  the 
choicest  articles  were  missing.  The  notorious  white  ants  too 
— those  astonishing  little  sawyers  of  Africa — had  been  at  work; 
they  had  destroyed  a  nuniber  of  the  gun-stocks.  Probably  the 
most  welcome  articles  in  the  whole  lot  which  had  been  sent  him 
were  four  flannel  shirts  from  his  daughter,  and  two  pairs  of 
splendid  walking-shoes  which  had  been  very  thoughtfully  pro- 
vided by  his  "  friend  Waller."  Mr.  Stanley  placed  at  his  dis- 
posal abundance  of  beads  and  cloth  and  wire,  etc.,  etc.  So  far 
the  traveller  was  fixe<:l ;  there  was  one  thing  remaining — men, 
such  men  as  could  not  be  obtained  in  Unyanyembe.  All  the 
wealth  of  the  world  could  avail  him  nothing  without  men.  He 
needed  at  least  fifty  men  to  carry  this  great  pocket-book  and 
provision  basket,  and  these  men  should  be  well  armed.  Mr. 
Stanley  undertook  to  send  these  men  so  equipped  from  Zanzibar. 

The  doctor  had  finished  his  letters,  and  all  things  were  ready 
for  the  departure.  Besides  the  letters,  he  had  carefully  packed 
his  journals  of  the  past  years  in  a  box  "sealed  with  five  seals; 
the  impression  on  them  those  of  an  American  gold  coin,  an  anna, 
half  anna,  and  cake  of  paint  with  royal  arms — positively  not  to 
be  opened."  The  Arabs  had  made  their  farewell  calls,  and  at 
night  the  native  followers  of  Singiri  gathered  about  the  tembe 
to  give  the  American  a  farewell  dance.     He  says,  "  It  was  a  wild 


710  THE   FAREWELL   ENTERTAINMENT. 

scene.  Four  drums  were  on  duty,  and  the  weird  circle  was 
formed  about  the  men  whose  office  it  was  to  make  tlie  furious 
music.  Bombay,  as  ever  comical,  never  so  much  at  home  as 
when  in  the  dance  of  the  Mrima,  had  his  head  adorned  with  his 
master's  water-bucket."  Chowperch,  another  of  Stanley's  fol- 
lowers, joined  the  circle  with  a  goatskin  wrapped  about  his  head, 
and  brandished  an  axe  wildly  as  he  moved  among  the  throng  ; 
Barako  flourishing  a  spear ;  Mabruki,  the  "  bull-headed,"  entered 
into  the  spirit  of  the  occasion  with  the  tread  of  an  elephant; 
Ulimengo  too  was  conspicuous,  with  a  gun,  looking  as  ferocious 
as  possible ;  two  others  of  the  caravan  were  before  the  drum- 
mers, back  to  back,  ambitiously  shaking  their  heels  at  the  stars ; 
while  Asami,  the  embodiment  of  giant  strength,  a  towering 
Titon,  dealt  desperate  blows  on  the  inoffensive  air  with  the  butt 
end  of  his  gun,  and  to  finish  the  scene,  Mr.  Stanley  himself 
sprang  into  the  circle  and  performed  the  "  light  fantastic  toe" 
to  the  intense  delight  of  his  braves.  When  the  warlike  music 
ended,  a  second  scene  was  produced.  The  Choragus  dropt  on  his 
knees  and  dipped  his  head  two  or  three  times  in  an  excavation 
in  the  ground,  and  the  choir,  also  on  their  knees,  repeated  iu 
dolorous  tones  the  last  words  of  a  slow  and  solemn  refrain : 


Choragui. — Oh-oh-oh !  the  white  man  is  going  home! 
Choir. — Oh-oh-oh !  going  home ! 

Going  home,  oh-oh-oh ! 

Choragus. — To  the  happy  islands  on  the  sea, 

Where  the  beads  are  plenty,  oh-oh-oh ! 
Clioir. — Oh-oh-oh  !  where  the  beads  are  plenty, 
Oh-oh-oh ! 

Choragus. — While  Singiri  has  kept  ns,  oh,  rery  long 
From  our  homes,  very  long,  oh-oh-oh  1 
Choir. — From  our  homes,  oh-oh-oh ! 
Oh-oh-oh ! 

Choragus. — And  we  have  had  no  food  for  very  long— 
We  are  half-starved,  oh,  for  so  long, 
Bana  Singiri ! 
Choir. — For  so  verj-  long,  oh-oh-oh  ! 

<     Bana  Singiri,  Singiri  I 
Singiri !  oh,  Singiri  I 


WANYAMWEZI    FAREWELL   DANCE. 


AN    EXCAMrMKNT. 


"the  search  expedition."  713 

Choragus. — Mirambo  has  gone  to  war 
To  fight  against  the  Arabs : 
The  Arabs  and  Wanguana 
Have  gone  to  fight  Mirambo  ! 
Choir. — Oh-oh-oh !  to  fight  Mirambo  ! 

Oh,  Mirambo!  Mirambo! 
Oh,  to  fight  Mirambo  I 

Choragxu. — But  the  white  man  will  make  us  glad  ; 

He  is  going  home !     For  he  is  going  home, 
And  he  will  make  us  glad !     Sh-sh-sh  ! 
Choir. — The  white  man  will  make  as  glad,  sh-sli-sh  ! 

Sh sh-h-h sh-sh-h-h-h-h ! 

Um-m — mu — um-m-m — sh  ! 

Thus  ended  the  singular  farewell  of  the  "Wanyam  wczi.  There 
Avas  only  one  more  day.  On  the  morning  of  the  14th  of  March 
the  Herald  expedition  set  out  on  its  return  to  Zanzibar.  The 
final  farewell  was  taken,  and  Dr.  Livingstone  returned  to  the 
house  that  seemed  now  desolate  indeed,  while  his  friend  and 
helper  marched  away. 

To  reach  Zanzibar,  secure  followers  for  Dr.  Livingstone  and 
sail  for  England,  was  the  work  of  about  two  months  and  a  half. 
He  met  at  Bagamoyo  an  English  expedition,  commanded  by 
Lieutenant  Henn,  with  whom  was  a  son  of  Dr.  Livingstone, 
Mr.  Oswald  Livingstone.  These  gentlemen  being  assured  of 
the  relief  of  the  doctor,  abandoned  their  enterprise.  Mr.  Oswald 
Livingstone  at  first  entertained  the  purpose  of  accepting  the 
charge  of  the  caravan  to  be  sent  back  by  INIr.  Stanley,  but  after- 
ward declined.  A  joyous  greeting  awaited  Mr.  Stanley  in  Zanzi- 
bar, and  before  many  days  he  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  fifty- 
seven  men  and  boys  in  marching  trim ;  conspicuous  among  them 
were  the  men  who  had  attended  ]\Ir.  Stanley  himself.  They 
had  become  very  much  attached  to  the  doctor  and  were  ready 
enough  to  return  to  him. 

The  parting  address  of  Mr.  Stanley  to  this  little  army  illus- 
ti-ates  happily  the  successful  method  of  dealing  with  a  class  of 
men  of  infinite  importance  to  the  traveller.  When  they  were 
about  to  depart,  Mr.  Stanley,  standing  before  them,  said  : 

"  Men,  you  are  now  about  to  return  to  Unyanyembe,  to  the 
'great  master.'  You  know  him  ;  you  know  he  is  a  good  man 
and  has  a  kind  heart.  He  is  different  from  me;  he  will  not 
treat  you  as  I  have  done.     But  you  know  I  have  rewarded  you 


714  JEALOUSY  AND   INCEEDULITY. 

all — how  I  have  made  you  all  rich  in  cloth  and  money.  You 
know  how  when  you  behaved  yourselves  well  I  was  your  friend. 
I  gave  you  plenty  to  eat  and  plenty  to  wear.  When  you  were 
sick  I  looked  after  you.  If  I  was  so  good  to  you,  the  great  master 
will  be  much  more  so.  He  has  a  pleasant  voice  and  speaks 
kind.  When  did  you  ever  see  him  lift  his  hand  against  an 
offender  ?  When  you  were  wicked  he  did  not  speak  to  you  in 
anger:  he  spoke  to  you  in  tones  of  sorrow.  Now  will  you 
promise  me  that  you  will  follow  him — do  what  he  tells  you, 
obey  him  in  all  things  and  not  desert  him  ?  " 

"We  will !  we  will,  my  master! "  the  men  all  cried  fervently. 
Then  came  the  hand-shaking,  and  the  caravan  was  on  its  way  to 
Unyanyembe.  And  Mr.  Stanley  stood  watching  the  great,  lazy 
dhow,  sailing  slowly  across  the  channel.  He  had  finished  his 
work.  ]\Ir.  Bennett  had  said :  "  The  old  man  may  be  in  want ; 
take  enough  with  you  to  help  him  should  he  require  it.  Of 
course  you  will  act  on  your  own  plans,  and  do  what  you  think 
best — BUT  FIND  Livingstone."  He  had  found  Livingstone ; 
found  him  in  want ;  had  helped  him.  When  he  reached  Africa 
he  had  found  one  relief  expedition  there.  Others  had  failed — 
this  one  failed.  When  he  came  back  he  found  another  starting 
in — it  was  no  longer  needed.  It  had  been  reserved  for  an  indi- 
vidual American  to  fit  out  the  successful  expedition,  and  another 
individual  American  to  lead  it  to  the  deliverance  of  an  English- 
man. Private  enterprise  had  stepi>ed  forward,  unsolicited,  and 
relieved  the  suspense  of  the  reading  world.  And  now  the  case 
stood  tiuis :  The  distinguished  traveller,  provided  with  every 
comfort,  was  sitting  at  Unyanyembe,  drawing  his  charts  and 
arranging  his  notes  for  that  which  he  trusted  would  be  the 
crowning  journey  of  his  life.  A  strong  and  faithful  caravan 
was  on  its  way  to  serve  him  ;  every  man  hired  for  two  full  years. 
These  facts  were  given  to  the  world  in  hundreds  of  newspapers, 
and  flashing  on  all  the  wires.  The  hero  of  the  enterprise  which 
had  been  rewarded  with  these  sj)lendid  results  was  waiting  on 
the  island  of  Zanzibar  for  a  ship,  thinking  with  joy  and  grati- 
tude of  the  work  he  had  been  able  to  do,  and  just  beginning  to 
find  out  what  an  ungracious  reward  a  jealous  government  and 
an  incredulous  world  were  proposing  for  him. 

It  was  a  great  comfort  to  him  that,  however  the  English 


HOME-LIFE   AT  UNYANYEMBE.  715 

geographers  and  the  public  generally  might  regard  the  matter, 
that  he  carried  in  his  mind  and  heart  unquestionable  assurances 
of  the  appreciation  of  Dr.  Livingstone,  and  he  knew  well  that 
he  had  in  his  possession  documents  which  would  convince  even 
theoretical  geographers  that  he  had  finished  his  work  in  a 
manner  becoming  a  man. 

The  home-life  at  Unyanyerabe  was  undisturbed  by  the  ridi- 
cule with  which  the  reports  of  Mr.  Stanley's  success  had  been 
received,  and  he  knew  it.  The  picture  of  the  old,  self-forgetting, 
persevering,  noble  man  in  the  tembe  of  Kwihai'a,  comfortable 
and  hopeful,  was  enough.  We  have  seen  enough  of  that  Un- 
yanyembe  home,  of  the  contents  of  its  storeroom,  the  cows,  fowls, 
sheep,  and  the  faithful  servants,  to  enable  us  to  understand  how 
pleasantly  a  man  with  habits  or  fancies  suited  to  the  latitude 
may  spend  a  few  months  quite  pleasantly,  particularly  when  he 
has  so  recently  obtained  release  from  four  or  five  years  of  un- 
paralleled fatigues,  deprivations  and  harassments. 

There  was  not  much  in  the  life  of  Dr.  Livingstone  during 
tliose  months  calling  for  our  notice  now.  Such  observations  of 
the  country  and  people  as  we  find  in  his  journal  have  been  fore- 
stalled by  the  travellers  whom  we  have  found  preceding  hira 
there.  Much  of  his  time  was  employed  in  calculations,  which 
would  be  found  very  unsatisfactory  to  the  general  reader.  Then 
there  were  days  in  which  he  occupied  himself  with  grouping 
various  reports  which  he  had  gathered  concerning  the  country 
into  which  he  proposed  to  go — reports  which  he  did  not  live  to 
confirm.  None  of  them  were  satisfactory  to  him ;  it  required 
the  clearest  and  most  indisputable  evidence  to  satisfy  him  on 
any  point  of  importance  or  general  interest.  He  surveyed  per- 
haps more  of  the  great  water-shed  of  the  continent  than  any 
other  traveller,  yet  he  says  frankly : 

"  In  reference  to  this  Nile  source  I  have  been  kept  in  perpetual 
doubt  and  perplexity.  I  know  too  much  to  be  positive.  Great 
Lualaba,  or  Lualubba,  as  Manyuema  say,  may  turn  out  to  l>e 
the  Congo  and  Nile,  a  shorter  river  after  all.  The  fountains 
flowing  north  and  south  seem  in  favor  of  its  being  the  Nile. 
Great  westing  is  in  favor  of  the  Congo.  It  would  be  comfortable 
to  be  positive  like  Baker." 

There  were  questions,  however,  about  which  he  was  more  de- 


716  ltvingstoxe's  deepest  solicitude. 

cided.  He  had  studied  the  country,  its  seasons,  climate,  soil, 
vegetation,  its  birds,  animals,  and  general  marketable  produce 
very  thoroughly.  And  he  had  studied  the  people;  he  knew  the 
evils  which  oppressed  them,  and  the  possibilities  which  were 
undeveloped  in  their  rude  characters.  About  these  things  he 
could  speak  positively.  And  his  mind  was  continually  dwelling 
on  whatever  seemed  encouraging  to  those  enterprises  which 
looked  to  the  moral  elevation  of  the  people.  He  had  been  com- 
pelled to  surrender  his  long-cherished  scheme  of  himself  estab- 
lishing a  great  central  mission  in  the  country.  The  providence 
which  he  believed  was  guiding  him  had  assigned  him  another 
task,  but  it  was  his  delight  to  mark  the  way  for  his  brethren 
whom  he  hoped  would  follow  him.  His  mind  was  much  on 
this  matter,  and  it  is  certainly  most  encouraging  to  those  who 
have  shared  with  him  the  Christ-like  solicitude  for  the  conver- 
sion of  Africa  to  Christ  that  all  his  trying  experiences  had  not 
diminislied  either  his  zeal  or  hopefulness  in  that  great  work. 
We  know  that  his  are  not  the  words  of  a  novice,  an  unwise  en- 
thusiast, but  of  a  deliberate,  well-informed  and  sincere  man. 
He  was  anxious  that  there  might  be  no  diminution  of  missionary 
effort  in  Africa,  and  such  notes  as  the  following  will  be  helpful 
and  inspiring  to  those  who  feel  this  great  work  laid  on  their 
hearts : 

"  Many  parts  of  this  interior  land  present  most  inviting  pros- 
pects for  well-sustained  efforts  of  private  benevolence  :  Karague, 
for  instance,  with  its  intelligent  friendly  chief  Rumainyika 
(Speke's  llumanika),  and  Bouganda,  with  its  teeming  popula- 
tion, rain,  and  friendly  chief,  who  could  easily  be  swayed  by  an 
energetic,  prudent  missionary.  The  evangelist  must  not  do- 
pend  on  foreign  support  other  than  an  occasional  supply  of 
beads  and  calico;  coffee  is  indigenous,  and  so  is  sugar-cane. 
When  detained  by  ulcerated  feet  in  Manyuema,  I  made  sugar 
by  pounding  the  cane  in  the  common  wooden  mortar  of  the 
coinitry,  squeezing  out  the  juice  very  hard  and  boiling  it  till 
thick ;  the  defect  it  had  was  a  latent  acidity,  for  which  I  had  no 
lime,  and  it  soon  all  fermented.  I  saw  sugar  afterwards  at 
Ujiji  made  in  the  same  way,  and  that  kept  for  months.  AVheat 
and  rice  are  cultivated  by  the  Arabs  in  all  this  upland  region; 
tlie  only  thing  a  missionary  needs  in  order  to  secure  an  abundant 


SUGGESTIONS   TO   MISSIONARIES.  717 

supply  Is  to  follow  the  Arab  advice  as  to  the  proper  season  for 
sowing.  Pomegranates,  guavas,  lemons  and  oranges  are  abun- 
dant in  Unyanyembe ;  mangoes  flourish,  and  grape-vines  are  be- 
ginning to  be  eultivated  ;  papaws  grow  everywhere.  Onions, 
radishes,  pumpkins  and  watermelons  prosper,  and  so  would 
most  European  vegetables,  if  the  proper  seasons  were  selected 
for  planting,  and  the  most  important  point  attended  to  in  bring- 
ing the  seeds.  These  must  never  be  soldered  in  tins  or  put  in 
close  boxes ;  a  process  of  sweating  takes  place  when  they  are 
confined,  as  in  a  box  or  hold  of  the  ship,  and  the  power  of  vege- 
tating is  destroyed;  but  garden  seeds  put  up  in  common  brown 
paper,  and  hung  in  the  cabin  on  the  voyage,  and  not  exposed  to 
the  direct  rays  of  the  sua  afterwards,  I  have  found  to  be  as 
good  as  in  Englaiid. 

"  True,"  he  continues,  "  it  would  be  a  sort  of  Robinson  Crusoe 
life,  but  Avith  abundant  materials  for  surrounding  one's  self  with 
comforts,  and  improving  the  improvable  among  the  natives. 
Clothing  would  require  but  small  expense;  four  suits  of  tweed 
served  me  comfortably  for  five  years  (!)  Woollen  clothing  is 
best ;  if  all  wool  it  wears  long  and  prevents  chills.  The  tem- 
perature herein  the  beginning  of  winter  ranges  from  62°  to  75° 
Fahr.  In  summer  it  seldom  goes  above  80°,  as  the  country 
generally  is  from  three  to  four  thousand  feet  above  the  sea." 

As  for  the  people  inhabiting  this  central  region,  although  he 
saw  them  under  the  vitiating  influence  of  the  slave-trade,  he  has 
recorded  his  conviction  that  there  is  nothing  in  their  customs  or 
characters  which  ought  to  discourage  missionary  efibrt. 

It  has  been  supposed  on  the  testimony  of  other  travellers  that 
these  tribes  are  greatly  wanting  in  natural  affection,  and  that 
even  mothei's  are  accustomed  to  sell  their  children.  The  doctor 
refers  to  this  statement  as  follows : 

"  Speke  at  Kasenge  islet  inadvertently  made  a  general  state- 
ment thus :  'The  mothers  of  these  savage  people  have  infinitely 
less  affection  than  many  savage  beasts  of  my  acquaintance.  I 
have  seen  a  mother  bear,  galled  by  frequent  shots,  obstinately 
meet  her  death  by  repeatedly  returning  under  fire  whilst  en- 
deavoring to  rescue  her  young  from  the  grasp  of  intruding  men. 
But  here,  for  a  simple  loin-cloth  or  two,  human  mothers  eagerly 
exchanged  their  little  offspring,  delivering  them  into  perpetual 


718  SPEKE  <X>RRECTED. 

bondage  to  my  Beluch  soldiers.' — Spelce,  pp.  234,  235.  For  the 
Bake  of  the  little  story  of  '  a  bear  mother/  Speke  made  a  gen- 
eral assertion  on  a  very  small  and  exceptional  foundation. 
Frequent  inquiries  among  the  most  intelligent  and  far-travelled 
Arabs  failed  to  find  confirmation  of  this  child-selling,  except  in 
the  very  rare  case  of  a  child  cutting  the  upper  front  teeth  before 
the  under,  and  because  this  child  is  believed  to  be  '  moiko ' 
{inxlucky),  and  certain  to  bring  death  into  the  family.  It  is 
culled  an  Arab  child,  and  sold  to  the  first  Arab,  or  even  left  at 
his  door.  This  is  the  only  case  the  Arabs  know  of  child-selling. 
Speke  had  only  two  Beluch  soldiers  with  him,  and  the  idea  that 
they  loaded  themselves  with  infants  at  once  stamps  the  tale  as 
fabulous.  He  may  have  seen  one  sold,  an  extremely  rare  and 
exceptional  case;  but  the  Inferences  drawn  are  just  like  that  of 
the  Frenchman  who  thought  the  English  so  partial  to  suicide  in 
November,  that  they  might  be  seen  suspended  from  trees  in  the 
common  highways. 

"  In  crossing  Tanganyika  three  several  times  I  ^was  detained 
at  the  islet  Kasenge  about  ten  weeks  In  all.  On  each  occasion 
Arab  traders  were  present,  all  eager  to  buy  slaves,  but  none 
were  offered,  and  they  assured  me  that  they  had  never  seen  the 
habit  alleged  to  exist  by  Speke,  though  they  had  heard  of  the 
*  unlucky '  cases  referred  to.  Every  one  has  known  of  poor 
little  foundlings  In  England,  but  our  mothers  are  not  credited 
with  less  affection  than  she-bears." 

He  had  studied  the  customs  and  dispositions  of  the  people  as 
a  Christian  teacher,  in  the  interest  of  Christianity,  witli  special 
reference  to  the  mission  work,  and  he  writes :  "  I  would  say  to 
missionaries.  Come  on,  brethren,  to  the  real  heathen.  You  have 
no  idea  how  brave  you  are  till  you  try.  Leaving  the  coast  and 
devoting  yourself  heartily  to  the  savages,  as  they  are  called,  you 
will  find  with  some  drawbacks  and  wickednesses  a  very  groat 
deal  to  admire  and  love.  Many  statements  about  them  require 
confirmation.  You  will  never  see  women  selling  their  infants; 
Arabs  never  did,  nor  have  I.  An  assertion  of  this  kind  was 
made  by  mistake."  In  this  connection  we  feel  assured  that 
many  of  our  readers  will  be  pleased  to  have  the  privilege  of 
reading  for  themselves  Dr.  Livingstone's  "Advice  to  Mis- 
sionaries," and  it  is  due  to  him  that  on  such  a  subject  he  be 
heard  in  his  owu  words.     It  is  as  follows : 


THE  WAY  OPEN.  719 

"No  great  difficulty  would  be  encountered  in  establishing  a 
Christian  mission  a  hundred  miles  or  so  from  the  east  coast. 
The  permission  of  the  Sultan  of  Zanzibar  would  be  necessaiy, 
because  all  the  tribes  of  any  intelligence  claim  relationship,  or 
have  relations  with  him  ;  the  Banyamwezi  even  call  themselves 
his  subjects,  and  so  do  others.  His  permission  would  be  readily 
granted,  if  respectfully  applied  for  through  the  English  consul. 
The  Suaheli,  Avith  their  present  apathy  on  religious  matters, 
would  be  no  obstacle.  Care  to  speak  politely,  and  to  show 
kindness  to  them,  would  not  be  lost  labor  in  the  general  effect 
of  the  mission  on  the  country,  but  all  discussion  on  the  belief 
of  the  Moslems  should  be  avoided ;  they  know  little  about  it. 
Emigrants  from  Muscat,  Persia,  and  India,  who  at  present  pas- 
sess  neither  influence  nor  wealth,  would  eagerly  seize  any  formal 
or  offensive  denial  of  the  authority  of  their  prophet  to  fan  their 
own  bigotry,  and  arouse  that  of  the  Suaheli.  A  few  now  as- 
sume an  air  of  superiority  in  matters  of  worship,  and  would 
fain  take  the  place  of  Mullams  or  doctors  of  the  law,  by  giving 
authoritative  dicta  as  to  the  times  of  prayer;  positions  to  bo 
observed;  lucky  and  unlucky  days;  using  cabalistic  signs; 
telling  fortunes ;  finding  from  the  Koran  when  an  attack  may 
be  made  on  any  enemy,  etc.;  but  this  is  done  only  in  the  field 
with  trading  parties.  At  Zanzibar  the  regular  Mullams  super- 
sede them. 

"  No  objection  would  be  made  to  teaching  the  natives  of  the 
country  to  read  their  own  languages  in  the  Roman  character. 
No  Arab  has  ever  attempted  to  teach  them  the  Arabic-Koran  ; 
they  are  called  guma,  hard,  or  difficult  as  to  religion.  This  is 
not  wonderful,  since  the  Koran  is  never  translated,  and  a  very 
extraordinary  desire  for  knowledge  would  be  required  to  sustain 
a  man  in  committing  to  memory  pages  and  chapters  of,  to  him, 
unmeaning  gibberish.  One  only  of  all  the  native  chiefs,  Mon- 
yumgo,  has  sent  his  children  to  Zanzibar  to  be  taught  to  read 
and  write  the  Koran  ;  and  he  is  said  to  possess  an  unusual  ad- 
miration of  such  civilization  as  he  has  seen  among  the  Arabs. 
To  the  natives,  the  chief  attention  of  the  mission  should  be  di- 
rected. It  would  not  be  desirable,  or  advisable,  to  refuse  ex- 
planation to  others;  but  I  have  avoided  giving  offence  to 
intelligent  Arabs,  who  have  pressed  me,  asking  if  I  believed 


720  THE   BEST   METHOD. 

in  Mohammed,  by  saying,  *  No,  I  do  not :  I  am  a  child  of  Jesus 
bin  Miriam,'  avoiding  anything  offensive  in  my  tone,  and  often 
adding  that  Mohammed  found  their  forefathers  bowing  down  to 
trees  and  stones,  and  did  good  to  them  by  forbidding  idolatry, 
and  teaching  the  worship  of  the  only  One  God.  This,  they  all 
know,  and  it  pleases  them  to  have  it  recognized. 

"  It  might  be  good  policy  to  hire  a  respectable  Arab  to  en- 
gage free  porters,  and  conduct  the  mission  to  the  country  chosen, 
and  obtain  permission  from  the  chief  to  build  temporary  houses. 
If  this  Arab  were  well  paid,  it  might  pave  the  way  for  employ- 
ing others  to  bring  supplies  of  goods  and  stores  not  produced 
in  the  country,  as  tea,  coffee,  and  sugar.  The  first  porters  had 
better  all  go  back,  save  a  couple  or  so,  who  have  behaved  espe- 
cially well.  Trust  to  the  people  among  whom  you  live  for 
general  services,  as  bringing  wood,  water,  cultivation,  reaping, 
smith's  work,  carpenter's  work,  pottery,  baskets,  etc.  Educated 
free  blacks  from  a  distance  are  to  be  avoided :  they  are  expen- 
sive, and  are  too  much  of  gentlemen  for  your  work.  You  may 
in  a  few  months  raise  natives  who  will  teach  reading  to  others 
better  than  they  can,  and  teach  you  also  much  that  the  liberated 
never  know.  A  cloth  and  some  beads  occasionally  will  satisfy 
them,  while  neither  the  food,  the  wages,  nor  the  work  will 
please  those  who,  being  brought  from  a  distance,  naturally  con- 
sider themselves  missionaries.  Slaves  also  have  undergone  a 
process  which  has  spoiled  them  for  life ;  though  liberated  young, 
everything  of  childhood  and  opening  life  possesses  an  inde- 
scribable charm.  It  is  so  with  our  own  offspring,  and  nothing 
effaces  the  fairy  scenes  then  printed  on  the  memory.  Some  of 
my  liberados  eagerly  bought  green  calabashes  and  tasteless 
squash,  with  fine  fat  beef,  because  this  trash  Avas  their  early 
food ;  and  an  ounce  of  meat  never  entered  their  mouths.  It 
seems  indispensable  that  each  mission  should  raise  its  own 
native  agency.  A  couple  of  Europeans  beginning,  and  carrying 
on  a  mission  without  a  staff  of  foreign  attendants,  implies  coarse 
country  fare,  it  is  true,  but  this  would  be  nothing  to  those  who, 
at  home,  amuse  themselves  with  fastings,  vigils,  etc.  A  great 
deal  of  power  is  thus  lost  in  the  church.  Fastings  and  vigils, 
without  a  special  object  in  view,  are  time  run  to  waste.  They 
are  made  to  minister  to  a  sort  of  self-gratification,  instead  of 


EXPENSES   OF   MISSION.  721 

being  turned  to  account  for  the  good  of  others.  They  are  like 
groaning  in  sickness.  Some  people  amuse  themselves  when  ill 
with  continuous  moaning.  The  forty  days  of  Lent  might  be 
annually  spent  in  visiting  adjacent  tribes,  and  bearing  unavoid- 
able hunger  and  thirst  with  a  good  grace.  Considering  the 
greatness  of  the  object  to  be  attained,  men  might  go  without 
sugar,  coffee,  tea,  etc.  I  went  from  September,  1866,  to  Decem- 
ber, 1868,  without  either.  A  trader,  at  Casembe's,  gave  me  a 
dish  cooked  with  honey,  and  it  nauseated  from  its  horrible 
sweetness,  but  at  one  hundred  miles  inland,  supplies  could  be 
easily  obtained. 

"  The  expenses  need  not  be  large.  Intelligent  Arabs  inform 
me  that,  in  going  from  Zanzibar  to  Casembe's,  only  three  thou- 
sand dollars'  worth  are  required  by  a  trader,  say  between  six 
hundred  pounds  or  seven  hundred  pounds,  and  lie  may  be  away 
three  .or  more  years;  paying  his  way,  giving  presents  to  the 
chiefs,  and  filling  two  hundred  or  three  hundred  mouths.  He 
has  paid  for,  say  fifty  muskets,  ammunition,  flints,  and  may  re- 
turn with  four  thousand  pounds  of  ivory,  and  a  number  of 
slaves  for  sak;  all  at  an  outlay  of  six  hundred  pounds  or  seven 
hundred  pounds.  "With  the  experience  I  have  gained  now,  I 
could  do  all  I  shall  do  in  this  expedition  for  a  like  sum,  or  at 
least  for  one  thousand  pounds  less  than  it  will  actually  cost  me." 

But  he  cautions  all  who  propose  to  seek  the  elevation  of  the 
Africans  that  it  can  only  be  accomplished  by  real,  consistent,  be- 
nevolent, intelligent,  and  patient  work.  No  jugglery  or  sleight- 
of-hand,  as  was  recommended  to  Napoleon  III.,  would  have  any 
effect  in  the  civilization  of  the  Africans ;  they  have  too  much 
good  sense  for  that.  Nothing  brings  them  to  place  thorough  con- 
fidence in  Europeans  but  a  long  course  of  well-doing.  They  be- 
lieve readily  in  the  supernatural  as  effecting  any  new  process  or 
feat  of  skill,  for  it  is  part  of  their  original  faith  to  ascribe  every- 
thing above  human  agency  to  unseen  spirits.  Goodness  or  un- 
selfishness impresses  their  minds  more  than  any  kind  of  skill  or 
power.  They  say,  "  You  have  different  hearts  from  ours ;  all 
black  men's  hearts  are  bad,  but  yours  are  good."  The  prayer 
to  Jesus  for  a  new  heart  and  right  spirit  at  once  commends  it- 
self as  appropriate.  Music  has  great  influence  on  thase  who 
have  musical  ears,  and  often  leads  to  conversion.     But  there 


722  LIGHTER   MATTERS. 

must  be  careful  instruction  and  consistent  living.  Particularly 
must  there  be  a  clear  and  striking  contrast  in  these  respects  be- 
tween tiie  Christian  missionary  and  the  Arab,  whose  name  has 
become  a  synonyme  for  selfishness  and  deceit. 

We  cannot  contemplate  the  noble  heart  which  seems  to  open 
before  us  as  we  read  these  pages,  recalling  as  we  read  them  the 
consecrated  life  which  underscores  every  word,  emphasizing  their 
truthfulness  and  importance,  without  a  conscious  reverence  for 
the  noble,  devoted  man,  who  with  so  much  toil  and  self-denial 
comes  before  us  with  wise  and  earnest  counsel.  And  may  God 
grant  that  this  noble  life  may  dwell  in  the  minds  of  men,  an 
undying  testimony  and  appeal,  until  all  Africa  is  radiant  with 
the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  God. 

But  there  were  lighter  matters  woven  into  the  life  at  Unyan- 
yembe,  relieving  these  more  serious  thoughts  as  they  relieved 
the  wearying  calculations  and  perplexing  guesses.  Now  and 
then  the  dulness  was  broken  by  fragments  of  information  from 
various  parts  of  the  country.  Sometimes  the  incidents  of  tlte 
household  afforded  a  brief  entertainment.  Nothing  escaped  his 
notice.  In  his  journal  for  these  months  we  find  a  most  remark- 
able range  of  subjects,  while  his  mind  was  absorbed  by  the  great 
questions  which  come  prominently  before  us  in  reading  his  life. 
He  had  infinite  delight  in  the  sports  of  the  birds  about  his  door ; 
the  peculiarities  of  the  tiniest  insects,  the  sports  of  children 
with  their  diminutive  bows  and  arrows,  the  frivolities  of 
his  servants,  their  petty  jealousies  and  ambitions,  the  most 
trivial  matters  of  trade,  the  little  incidents  and  remarks  among 
the  Arabs  with  whom  he  exchanged  visits,  were  all  noticed. 
One  day  he  tells  how  he  settled  a  quarrel  between  his  t\vt) 
women  cooks;  another  time  of  the  loss  of  a  favorite  cow; 
somewhere  else  of  bringing  about  a  marriage  for  Susi.  Then 
he  is  absorbed  in  the  raid  some  tiny  sparrows  were  making  on 
a  spider's  web;  a  thousand  things  of  the  sort  sharing  his  atten- 
tion with  the  gravest  problems. 

No  man  comes  more  readily  before  us  than  himself  when  we 
read  his  own  thoughts  most  casually  expressed  as  follows: 

"All  the  great  among  men  have  been  remarkable  at  once  for 
the  grasp  and  minuteness  of  their  knowledge.  Great  astrono- 
mers seem  to  know  every  iota  of  the  Knowable.     The  great 


THE  SUSPENSE  ENDED.  723 

Duke,  when  at  the  head  of  armies,  could  give  all  the  particulars 
to  be  observed  in  a  cavalry  charge,  and  took  care  to  have  food 
ready  for  all  his  troops.  Men  think  that  greatness  consists  in 
lofty  indifference  to  all  trivial  things.  The  Grand  Llama,  sit- 
ting in  immovable  contemplation  of  nothing,  is  a  good  example 
of  what  a  human  mind  would  regard  as  majesty;  but  the  Gos- 
pels reveal  Jesus,  the  manifestation  of  the  blessed  God  over  all, 
as  minute  in  his  care  of  all.  He  exercises  a  vigilance  more 
constant,  complete,  and  comprehensive,  every  hour  and  every 
minute,  over  each  of  his  people,  than  their  utmost  self-love 
could  ever  attain.  His  tender  love  is  more  exquisite  than  a 
mother's  heart  can  feel." 

But  however  he  might  engage  himself,  freely  as  he  might 
allow  his  thoughts  to  roam  and  soar,  there  was  one  consuming 
anxiety — tJce  men.  He  counted  the  days.  Over  and  over  in 
his  journal  there  are  found  calculations  of  the  time  when  they 
might  be  expected. 

''At  last  this  trying  suspense  was  put  an  end  to  by  the  arrival 
of  a  troop  of  fifty-seven  men  and  boys,  made  up  of  porters 
hired  by  Mr.  Stanley  on  the  coast,  and  some  more  Nassick 
pupils  sent  from  Bombay  to  join  Lieut.  Dawson.  We  find  the 
names  of  John  and  Jacob  Wainwright  amongst  the  latter  on 
Mr.  Stanley's  list. 

"  Before  we  incorporate  these  new  recruits  on  the  muster-roll 
of  Dr.  Livingstone's  servants,  it  seems  right  to  point  to  five 
names  which  alone  represented  at  this  time  the  list  of  his  origi- 
nal followers ;  these  were  Susi,  Chuma,  and  Amoda,  who  joined 
him  in  1864  on  the  Zambesi — that  is,  eight  years  previously — 
and  Mabruki  and  Gardner,  Nassick  boys  hired  in  1866.  We 
shall  see  that  the  new-comers  by  degrees  became  accustomed  to 
the  hardships  of  travel,  and  shared  with  the  old  servants  all  the 
danger  of  the  last  heroic  march  home.  Nor  must  we  forget 
that  it  was  to  the  intelligence  and  superior  education  of  Jacob 
Wainwright  (whom  we  now  meet  with  for  the  first  time)  that 
we  are  indebted  for  the  earliest  account  of  the  eventful  eighteen 
months  during  which  he  was  attached  to  the  party. 

"And  now  all  is  pounding,  packing,  bargaining,  weighing, 
and  disputing  amongst  the  porters.      Amidst  the  inseparable 
difficulties  of  an  African  start  one  thankful  heart  gathers  com- 
fort and  courage." 
37 


724  THE  queen'^s  acknowledgment. 

The  men  arrived  on  the  14th  of  August.  Mr.  Stanley  was 
already  in  England.  The  precious,  cheering  letters  had  glad- 
dened the  hearts  of  loving  children  and  kind  friends.  The 
sealed  box  had  been  faithfully  delivered;  and  the  man  who 
brought  them  was  receiving  the  kindest  acknowledgments  of 
his  success  from  the  personal  friends  of  Dr.  Livingstone  and 
the  British  Government. 

Conspicuous  among  these  acknowledgments  was  a  very  beau- 
tiful token  from  the  noble  Queen,  who  had  always,  we  remem- 
ber, taken  the  deepest  interest  in  the  heroic  traveller. 

The  expressions  of  royal  appreciation,  so  gracefully  embodied 
in  the  following  note,  is  a  fitting  seal  of  the  chapters  which  will 
leave  us  free  to  follow  Dr.  Livingstone  back  into  the  continent 
which  justly  claims  the  privilege  of  pillowing  his  dying  head 
upon  its  breast. 

"  Foreign  Office,  Augtist  27. 

"Sir: — I  have  great  satisfaction  in  conveying  to  you,  by 
command  of  the  Queen,  her  Majesty's  high  appreciation  of  the 
prudence  and  zeal  which  you  have  displayed  in  opening  a  com- 
munication with  Dr.  Livingstone,  and  relieving  her  Majesty 
from  the  anxiety  which,  in  common  with  her  subjects,  she  had 
felt  in  regard  to  the  fate  of  that  distinguished  traveller. 

"  The  Queen  desires  me  to  express  her  thanks  for  the  service 
you  have  thus  rendered,  together  with  her  Majesty's  congratu- 
lations on  your  having  so  successfully  carried  on  the  mission 
which  you  fearlessly  undertook.  Her  Majesty  also  desires  me 
to  request  your  acceptance  of  the  Memorial  which  accompanies 
this  letter.  I  am,  sir, 

"  Your  most  obedient,  humble  servant, 
"  Granville." 


CHAPTER    XXXIV. 

THE   LAST  JOURNEY. 

Thfi  Plans  of  Livingstone — Route  Proposed — The  March  Begun — Livingstone's 
Carefulness  of  Observation — A  Reliable  Observer — Indifference  of  Livingstone 
to  Danger — A  Charmed  Life — Better  Judges — A  Midnight  Encounter — The 
Old  Disease — The  Shores  of  Tanganyika — Cotton  Cultivated — Hunting  a 
Business — Ominous  Silence — Lake  Lieniba — The  Slave  Trade — Zombe — Be« 
neficent  Disappointments — Donkeys  and  the  Tsetse — The  Kalongosi — Nsama 
and  Casembe— Flood  and  Flowers— Beautiful  Emblems — A  Flooded  Country- 
Great  Hardships — Fording  Rivers — Livingstone  Carried  by  his  Men — Island 
Villages — The  Last  Birthday — Resolution — Sufferings  and  Longings — Six  Feet 
Rain-Fall! — Fishes — Sinking  Rapidly — Utterly  Exhausted — Kindness  of  Mu- 
anazawamba — The  Last  Written  "Words — Carried  on  a  Kitanda — The  Last 
Mile— The  Last  Words— Deatlu 

We  are  not  left  in  any  uncertainty  about  the  plans  of  Dr. 
Livingstone  when  he  set  out  on  the  last  journey  of  his  life,  or 
the  hopes  which  inspired  him ;  and  we  can  hardly  find  in  the 
history  of  human  eifort  a  grander  instance  of  courage  and  perse- 
verance than  is  exhibited  in  the  deliberate  and  joyous  under- 
taking, when  we  remember  that  the  route  marked  out  for 
himself  by  this  great  man  was  perhaps  as  extensive  as  all  his 
journeys  since  he  entered  Africa  in  1866. 

"It  is  all  but  certain,"  he  writes,  "that  four  full-grown 
gushing  fountains  rise  on  the  watershed  eight  days  south  of 
Katanga,  each  of  which  at  no  great  distance  off  becomes  a  large 
river;  and  two  rivers  thus  formed  flow  north  to  Egypt,  the 
other  two  south  to  Inner  Ethiopia;  that  is,  Lufira  or  Bartle 
Frere's  river,  flows  into  Kamolondo,  and  that  into  Webb's 
Lualaba,  the  main  line  of  drainage.  Another,  on  the  north 
side  of  the  sources.  Sir  Paraffin  Young's  Lualaba,  flows  through 
Lake  Lincoln,  otherwise  named  Chibungo  and  Lomame,  and 
that  too  into  Webb's  Lualaba.  Then  Liambai  Fountain,  Pal- 
merston's,  forms  the  Upper  Zambesi ;  and  the  Lunga  (Lunga), 
Oswell's   Fountain,   is  the   Kafue;    both   flowing  into   Inner 

725 


726  THE   TwOUTE   PROPOSED. 

Ethiopia.  It  may  be  that  these  are  not  the  fountains  of  the 
Nile  mentioned  to  Herodotus  by  the  secretary  of  Minerva,  in 
Sai's,  in  Egypt ;  but  they  are  worth  discovery,  as  in  the  last 
hundred  of  the  seven  hundred  miles  of  the  water-shed,  from 
which  nearly  all  the  Nile  springs  do  unquestionably  arise. 

"  I  propose  to  go  from  Unyanyembe  to  Fipa;  then  round  the 
south  end  of  Tanganyika,  Tambete,  or  Mbete ;  then  across  the 
Chambeze,  and  round  south  of  Lake  Bangweolo,  and  due  west 
to  the  ancient  fountains;  leaving  the  underground  excavations 
till  after  visiting  Katanga.  This  route  will  serve  to  certify  that 
no  other  sources  of  the  Nile  can  come  from  the  south  without 
being  seen  by  me.  No  one  will  cut  me  out  after  this  explora- 
tion is  accomplished  ;  and  may  the  good  Lord  of  all  help  me  to 
show  myself  one  of  his  stout-hearted  servants,  an  honor  to  my 
children,  and,  perhaps,  to  my  country  and  race." 

Some  one  will  enter  into  his  labors,  and  the  honor  which  his 
unequalled  self-denial  and  wonderful  devotion  to  science  and 
humanity  entitled  him  to  desire ;  but  no  man  will  prove  him- 
self a  stouter-hearted  servant  of  God;  no  man  can  leave  a 
richer  legacy  to  his  children,  his  country,  and  his  race,  than  is 
bequeathed  in  the  memory  of  him  who  crowns  a  life  of  useful 
toil  by  a  consecrated  death. 

There  was  no  time  lost  in  completing  the  arrangements  at 
Unyanyembe,  when  the  caravan  Avas  once  at  the  disposal  of  the 
earnest  man  already  so  weary  of  delay.  And  no  day  of  his 
life  was  brighter  to  him  than  the  25th  of  August,  whose  even- 
ing shadows  hung  about  his  camp — an  hour's  march  from 
Kwihara. 

The  earlier  part  of  the  journey  lay  along  almost  the  same 
route  as  that  traversed  by  Mr.  Stanley  first,  and  afterward  by 
himself  and  Mr.  Stanley,  between  Ujiji  and  Unyanyembe.  The 
journal  of  the  days  is  valuable  to  persons  contemplating  travels 
in  the  country,  but  possess  very  little  of  interest  to  the  general 
reader.  It  was  the  custom  of  Dr.  Livingstone  to  record  with 
singular  care  and  minuteness  the  most  trivial  variations  in  the 
soil  and  general  appearance  of  the  regions  which  he  traversed. 
He  could  not  have  been  more  particular  in  these  matters  luid 
he  been  making  a  guide  book,  or  charged  with  a  survey  for  a 
railroad.     He  was  equally  particular  in  the  mention  each  day 


A   CHARMED   LIFE.  727 

of  the  little  comforts  and  discomforts  of  travel.  If  his  leadei-s 
had  occasion  to  chastise  a  mischievous  boy,  it  entered  the  journal; 
if  a  man  unluckily  was  taxed  with  storage  for  an  insect  in  the 
aqueous  chamber  of  his  eye,  it  interested  him.  We  have  not 
space  for  these  things,  and  the  reader  would  be  impatient  of 
being  kept  back  from  the  graver  matters  before  us  should  we 
require  him  to  be  so  much  interested  in  sixty  or  seventy  men 
of  whom  he  knows  nothing.  The  capacity  of  observing  these 
trivialties  was  a  distinguishing  trait,  however,  in  the  character 
of  Dr.  Livingstone.  It  was  the  same  element  of  character 
which  constituted  him  infinitely  the  superior  of  ordinary  travel- 
lers ;  that  made  his  observations  so  reliable  in  matters  of  science. 
The  days  were  to  Dr.  Livingstone  days  of  toil.  He  was  no 
longer  young,  and  the  wildness  of  Africa  was  no  longer  novel 
to  him.  Those  wonderful  forests  and  charming  hills  which 
engaged  the  eye  of  Mr.  Stanley  like  the  shifting  scenes  of  a 
grand  panorama,  were  all  familiar  scenes  to  the  man  who  had 
been  walking  up  and  down  in  the  land  during  thirty  years. 
Even  that  wonderful  "paradise  of  hunters,"  where  the  young 
leader  of  the  Herald  expedition  rejoiced  in  his  first  engagements 
with  the  monsters  of  the  wilderness,  possessed  nothing  new  or 
awe-inspiring.  It  is  almost  incredible  that  a  man  should  be- 
come so  thoroughly  indifferent  to  tlie  proximity  of  the  most 
ferocious  and  dangerous  wild  beasts  as  was  Dr.  Livingstone. 
"VVe  remember  the  views  which  he  expressed  in  earlier  years 
about  the  lion.  He  never  changed  them  ;  and  he  seems  to  have 
become  so  accustomed  to,  not  the  lion  only,  but  all  his  forest 
rivals,  that  he  could  hardly  give  them  mention.  Indeed,  we 
cannot  help  feeling  sometimes,  as  his  men  felt  and  said  so  fre- 
quently in  substance,  that  he  carried  a  "charmed  life,"  and 
lived  in  constant  exposure  to  savage  men  and  beasts  in  the 
serenity  of  an  almost  conscious  immortality.  But  the  traveller 
who  thinks  that  the  indifference  of  Livingstone  to  the'monsters 
that  hold  an  unscrupulous  sway  in  the  wilds  of  Africa  proves 
that  they  may  be  despised  with  impunity  is  mistaken.  We 
must  not  forget  that  explorers  travel  generally  with  extensive 
caravans — little  armies.  The  adventurers  who  attempt  a  less 
imposing  and  dismaying  invasion  of  those  wilds  are,  perhaps, 
the  safer  interpreters  of  the  lion's  roar,  the  "  shriek  "  of  the  ele- 


728  LEOPARD   ENCOUNTER. 

pliaut,  the  quick  "  whiff"  of  the  rhinoceros,  and  the  stealthy- 
step  of  the  leopard.  It  matters  little  to  the  unlucky  man  who 
finds  himself  oddly  matched  in  close  encounter  with  one  of 
these,  that  the  animal  may  possess  only  ferocity  instead  of  true 
courage.  The  case  is  desperate  all  the  same.  The  leopard  was 
never  thought  of  as  distinguished  by  lofty  courage;  hut  a  cara- 
van can  hardly  pass  through  his  native  jungles  without  carrying 
away  a  man  or  two  less  than  it  brought.  One  of  the  fiercest 
scenes  portrayed  in  books  of  travel  is  in  the  account  of  a  mid- 
night battle  of  a  distinguished  traveller  with  one  of  these 
unmanly  creatures.  Separated  from  his  party,  and  sadly  bewil- 
dered, the  traveller  was  vainly  endeavoring  to  regain  the  path 
from  which  he  had  unconsciously  turned.  The  shadows  had 
closed  about  him,  and  the  night,  with  all  its  most  discordant 
sounds,  prevailed.  Suddenly,  while  he  listened  intently,  fearing 
that  a  step  might  bring  him  across  the  path  of  some  prowling 
monster,  he  heard  a  foot-fall,  light  and  cautious,  and  a  hoarse 
breathing.  He  had  hardly  time  to  grasp  his  weapon  when  the 
leopard  sprang  on  him.  The  struggle  was  for  life  on  the 
hunter's  part,  for  blood  on  the  part  of  his  assailant.  When  it 
ended  it  was  a  doubtful  choice  between  the  prostrate  forms  of 
the  man  and  beast  for  the  living  one ;  and  years  afterward  the 
man's  memory  reverted  to  that  midnight  encounter  as  the 
climax  of  all  his  perils.  It  seems  to  be  true,  however,  that 
travellers  through  the  countries  infested  by  ravenous  beasts 
need  not  come  Into  collision  with  them.  It  is  generally  possi- 
ble to  travel  in  such  company,  and  encamp  in  such  a  manner, 
as  to  insure  protection  from  assaults.  If  Dr.  Livingstone  had 
been  a  hunter,  and  had  sought  the  intimacies  which  have  fur- 
nished the  startling  narratives  that  fill  the  books  of  other  men, 
lie  might  have  thought  of  these  wilds  as  they  do.  As  it  was, 
he  passed  through  the  "paradise  of  hunters "  without  a  word 
about  the  "splendid  game."  But  there  is  mention  in  his 
journal  of  an  enemy  which  he  could  not  despise;  which  in- 
vaded with  insidious  malice  the  circle  of  followers,  and  laughed 
at  camp-fires  and  walls  of  mud  or  canvas.  This  v.as  the  old 
disease  of  the  bowels  which  had  followed  him  so  many  years. 
Several  days  were  lost  at  Mrcra,  and  the  men  speak  of  few 
periods  of  even  comparative  health  after  he  left  that  point. 


THE  SHORES  OP  TANGANYIKA.  729 

On  leaving  Mrcra,  and  passing  the  village  of  Simba,  they 
reached  the  range  of  hills  overlooking  the  Tanganyika,  and 
turning  southward,  leaving  his  old  route  behind  him.  The 
land  was  now  peculiarly  rough  with  angular  fragments  of 
quartz.  It  was  early  in  October,  and  in  the  hottest  season. 
The  doctor  complained  of  great  fatigue  and  inward  suffering. 
The  course  lay  along  the  range,  a  thousand  feet  above  the  sur- 
face of  the  lake,  amid  scraggy  trees,  whose  scanty  foliage  afforded 
a  poor  protection  from  the  scorching  rays.  Along  tiie  shores  of 
the  lake  a  great  deal  of  cotton  was  under  cultivation,  and  the 
people  had  devised  methods  of  manufacturing  it,  by  which  they 
provided  themselves  with  as  much  clothing  as  their  fashions 
call  for. 

Tlie  sides  of  Tanganyika  presented  a  succession  of  rounded 
bays  answering  to  the  valleys  which  trended  down  to  the  shore 
between  the  numerous  ranges  of  hills.  The  hills  M-ere  tl^ 
habitat  of  all  the  distinctive  animals  of  the  continent,  and  tiie 
familiar  traps  of  the  natives — with  whom  the  taking  of  ele- 
phants and  buffaloes  is  more  a  business  than  a  sport — were  seen 
daily.  Every  day  it  was  the  same  thing — laborious  marches 
over  mountains  rising  five  hundred  to  seven  hundred  feet  above 
the  passes ;  often  fifteen  hundred  feet  above  the  lake.  Ordi- 
narily there  would  have  been  outbursts  of  enthusiasm,  in  the 
midst  of  the  splendid  scenery  which  must  frequently  have  sur- 
rounded him  ;  but  day  after  day  he  passed  in  silence  along  those 
lofty  crests  from  which  he  could  look  down  on  the  surface  of 
the  lake,  flashing  like  a  golden  mirror  in  the  lengthening  sun- 
rays  of  evening,  or  reflecting  like  burnished  silver  the  noon- 
time brilliancy  ;  or  away  over  broken  ledges  and  majestic  ranges 
of  hills  rich  in  geological  curiosities  and  vegetable  luxuriance; 
or  along  valleys  beautiful  with  ])romises  of  reward  to  intelligent 
and  industrious  attention.  It  was  an  unusual  and  saddening 
silence,  and  tells  unmistakably  of  the  sufferings  with  which  the 
journey  Avas  being  performed. 

He  passed  through  Fipa  and  entered  Urungu,  and  on  around 
tlie  southern  end  of  the  Lake  Liemba,  and  came  among 
familiar  scenes  again.  He  was  here  only  a  little  more  than 
one  month's  march  from  Ujiji,  and  yet  from  this  point  he  had 
been  obliged  to  turn  across  through  Itawa,  years  before,  and 


730  THE   DONKEY  AND  TSETSE. 

submit  to  years  of  hardship  and  dependence,  all  because  of  the 
slave-trade,  which  claims  the  prerogative  of  hindering  all 
benevolence  and  blocking  the  way  of  science  in  Africa,  only 
that  it  may  curse  that  unhappy  continent  with  its  degrading 
slime. 

When  they  reached  the  village  of  Zombe — November  11th — 
the  doctor  was  reminded  very  forcibly  of  that  tender  providence 
which  so  frequently  wrought  signal  deliverances  for  him. 
Only  a  few  months  earlier  that  town  had  been  surrounded  by 
the  troops  of  a  powerful  chief,  and  recently  he  had  been  utterly 
routed  by  the  brothers  of  Zombe,  who  had  come  to  his  assist- 
ance in  time  to  prevent  an  alliance  between  the  besiegers  and 
the  Arabs.  Had  the  doctor  arrived  a  few  weeks  earlier  he  could 
not  have  avoided  falling  into  the  hands  of  most  overbearing 
men ;  and  had  he  been  able  to  do  as  he  desired,  he  would  have 
arrived  earlier.  So  it  is  that  men  very  often  have  occasion  to 
praise  God  for  disappointments.  Frequently  there  are  hopes 
most  fondly  cherished  whose  realization  would  break  our  hearts 
or  blast  all  our  interests. 

Between  Zombe  and  the  beautiful  Aeesy  the  doctor  was 
obliged  to  record  the  death  of  his  donkey,  which  had  been  suf- 
fering for  some  time  the  effect  of  the  tsetse  bite.  Hitherto  Dr. 
Livingstone  had  always  maintained,  as  the  result  of  his  own 
observations,  that  this  animal,  at  all  events,  could  be  taken 
through  districts  in  which  horses,  mules,  dogs,  and  oxen  would 
perish  to  a  certiiinty ;  and  with  the  keen  perception  and  perse- 
verance of  one  who  was  exploring  Africa  with  a  view  to  open  it 
up  for  Europeans,  he  laid  great  stress  on  these  experiments. 
He  had  been  exceedingly  anxious  to  demonstrate  the  possibility 
of  carrying  donkeys  anywhere  in  Africa.  How  far  his  success 
or  failure  in  doing  so  sliould  affect  others  is  a  question  for  them 
to  decide.  The  doctor  himself,  however,  can  hardly  be  said  to 
have  tested  the  matter  thoroughly,  as  he  mentions  the  fact  that 
his  donkey  had  suffered  ill  usage  and  great  neglect  by  the  men 
who  had  it  in  charge.  The  death  of  the  donkey  was  a  great 
loss  to  him. 

Passing  the  village  of  Kampomba,  his  old  friend,  and  that  of 
Kasonso's  successor,  they  turned  westward,  across  the  various 
tributaries  of  the  Kisi,  until  they  reached  the  Kalongosi,  at  the 


CROSSING   THE   KALONGOSI.  73<1 

confluence  of  the  Luena.  Northward,  on  their  right  liand,  as 
they  advanced,  was  Itawa,  the  country  of  Nsama,  now  thor- 
oughly conquered  by  the  Arabs.  Before  them  was  the  town  of 
Casembe,  who  had  also  fallen  before  the  Arab  traders.  The 
mountains  had  been  left  behind,  and  the  country  was  level  and 
covered  with  trees  which  had  been  stripped  of  their  bark. 

The  Kalongosi  was  sixty  or  eighty  yards  wide  and  four  yards 
deep.  The  rains  were  now  fully  set  in,  and  the  daily  experi- 
ence was  becoming  one  of  distressing  exposure,  while  the  health 
of  Dr.  Livingstone  was  gradually  declining.  The  ravages  of 
the  Arabs  in  Nsaraa's  and  Caserabe's  countries  had  made  the 
people  of  the  villages  timid  and  suspicious.  Where  they  were 
bold  enough  to  remain  in  their  homes,  they  were  distrustful  and 
ungenerous. 

After  crossing  the  Kalongosi  they  turned  southward,  a  little 
east  of  south.  As  they  came  nearer  Lake  Bangweolo  there  was 
a  manifest  alteration  in  the  face  of  the  country.  It  had  been 
exceedingly  unpleasant  travelling  across  the  numerous  feeders 
of  the  great  rivers  flowing  westward ;  but  it  was  now  becoming 
one  continual  plunge  in  and  out  of  morass  and  through  rivers 
which  were  only  distinguishable  from  the  surrounding  waters 
by  their  deeper  currents.  It  was  impossible  that  such  exposure 
should  not  be  attended  with  very  serious  results  to  a  man  so 
reduced  in  health  and  aifected  chronically  with  dysenteric  symp- 
toms. It  only  astonishes  us  that  he  should  have  endured  it  so 
long.  The  few  villages  were  in  terror  and  closed  their  gates : 
the  fate  of  Casembe  was  too  fresh  in  their  minds  to  admit  of 
their  entertaining  armed  strangers. 

There  were  many  plots  of  cassava,  maize,  millet,  dura,  ground- 
nuts, voandzeia,  in  the  forest,  all  surrounded  with  strong  high 
hedges  skilfully  built,  and  manured  with  wood-ashes.  There 
were  also  many  flowers:  marigolds,  a  white  jonquil-looking 
flower  without  smell,  many  orchids,  white,  yellow  and  pink 
Asclepias,  with  bunches  of  French  white  flowers,  clematis — 
Methonica  gloriosa,  gladiolus,  and  blue  and  deep  purple  poly- 
galas,  grasses  with  white  starry  seed-vessels,  and  spikelets  of 
brownish  red  and  yellow.  Besides  these  there  were  beautiful 
blue  flowering  bulbs,  and  new  flowers  of  pretty  delicate  form 
and  but  little  scent.     To  this  list  may  be  added  balsams,  com- 


732  FLOWERS   AND   FLOODS. 

positae  of  blood-red  color  and  of  purple;  other  flowers  of  liver 
color,  bright  canary  yellow,  pink  orchids  on  spikes  thickly 
covered  all  round,  and  of  three  inches  in  length ;  spiderworts 
of  fine  blue  or  yellow  or  even  pink.  Different  colored  asclepe- 
dials;  beautiful  yellow  and  red  umbelliferous  flowering  plants; 
dill  and  wild  parsnips;  pretty  flowery  aloes,  yellow  and  red,  in 
one  whorl  of  blossoms ;  peas,  and  many  other  flowering  plants 
which  he  did  not  know. 

It  is  very  beautiful  to  think  of  the  sufferer  amid  such  annoy- 
ances, and  exposed  to  such  hardships,  noticing  these  delicate 
features  of  nature  with  so  much  care  and  pleasure.  These 
beautiful  flowers  were  like  the  stars  which  be-gem  the  darkness 
to  remind  us  that  darkness  is  not  absolute;  or  like  the  little 
deeds  of  kindness,  or  the  little  happinesses,  which  come  to  us  in 
the  midst  of  periods  of  disappointment  and  protracted  sorrow, 
to  silence  our  murmurings  and  prevent  our  despair.  Living 
things  instinctively  drew  back  from  the  borders  of  the  flooded 
country;  flowers  bloomed  down  to  the  edge  of  the  waters,  and 
bloomed  as  beautifully  on  every  spot  of  exposed  ground  as  they 
could  have  done  if  there  had  been  no  floods  surrounding  them. 
We  cannot  think  of  anything  else  which  so  happily  represents 
the  mercies  of  God. 

Many  of  the  rivers  had  to  be  forded ;  and  though  it  would 
seem  a  difficult  task  for  one  entirely  unencumbered  to  get 
through,  his  men  nobly  carried  him.  The  timidity  and  un- 
friendliness of  the  people  greatly  aggravated  their  condition. 
They  could  get  no  reliable  guide  or  correct  information ;  and 
the  weather  was  such  that  no  observations  could  be  made  on 
"which  they  could  depend  in  shaping  their  course. 

To  be  thus  marching  blindly,  scantily  provided  with  food, 
absolutely  ill  much  of  the  time,  would  seem  to  be  enough  to 
break  the  stoutest  spirit,  yet  this  wonderful  man  never  once 
looked  back — not  one  word  of  irresolution — but  on,  on,  clinging 
with  incomprehensible  pertinacity  to  his  aim,  he  pressed  for- 
ward. The  memorandum  of  one  day's  experience  will  illustrate 
this  dreadful  niarch  : 

"January  24. — Went  on  east  and  northeast  to  avoi<l  the  deep 
part  of  a  large  river,  which  requires  two  canoes,  but  the  men 
Bent  by  the  chief  would  certainly  hide  them.     Went  one  and 


FORDING   RIVERS.  735 

three-quarters  hour's  journey  to  a  large  stream  through  drizzling 
rain,  at  least  three  hundred  yards  of  deep  water,  amongst  sedges 
and  sponges  of  one  hundred  yards.  One  part  was  neck-deep 
for  fifty  yards,  and  the  water  cold.  We  plunged  in  elephants' 
foot-prints  one  hour  and  a  half,  then  came  on  one  hour  to  a 
small  rivulet  ten  feet  broad,  but  waist-deep,  bridge  covered  and 
broken  down.  Carrying  me  across  one  of  the  broad,  deep  sedgy 
rivers  is  really  a  very  difficult  task.  One  we  crossed  was  at 
least  two  thousand  feet  broad,  or  more  than  three  hundred  yards. 
The  first  part,  the  main  stream,  came  up  to  Susi's  mouth,  and 
wetted  my  seat  and  legs.  One  held  up  ray  pistol  behind,  then 
one  after  another  took  a  turn,  and  when  he  sank  into  a  deep 
elephant's  foot-print,  he  required  two  to  lift  him,  so  as  to  gain  a 
footing  on  the  level,  which  was  over  waist-deep.  Others  went 
on,  and  bent  down  the  grass,  to  insure  some  footing  on  the 
side  of  the  elephants'  path.  Every  ten  or  twelve  paces  brought 
us  to  a  clear  stream,  flowing  fast  in  its  own  channel,  while  over 
all  a  strong  current  came  bodily  through  all  the  rushes  and 
aquatic  plants.  Susi  had  the  first  spell,  then  Farijala,  then  a 
tall,  stout,  Arab-looking  man,  then  Amoda,  then  Chanda,  then 
Wade  Sale,  and  each  time  I  was  lifted  off  bodily,  and  put  on 
another  pair  of  stout,  willing  shoulders,  and  fifty  yards  put  them 
out  of  breath  :  no  wonder !  It  was  sore  on  the  women  folk  of 
our  party.  It  took  us  full  an  hour  and  a  half  for  all  to  cross 
over,  and  several  came  over  turn  to  help  me  and  their  friends. 
The  water  was  cold,  and  so  was  the  wind,  but  no  leeches  plagued 
us.  We  had  to  hasten  on  the  building  of  sheds  after  crossing 
the  second  rivulet,  as  rain  threatened  us.  After  4  p.  m.  it  came 
on  a  pouring  cold  rain,  when  we  were  all  under  cover.  We  are 
anxious  about  food.  The  lake  is  near,  but  we  are  not  sure  of 
provisions,  as  there  have  been  changes  of  population.  Our 
progress  is  distressingly  slow.  Wet,  wet,  wet ;  sloppy  weather, 
truly,  and  no  observations,  except  that  the  land  near  the  lake 
being  very  level  the  rivers  spread  out  into  broad  friths  and 
sponges." 

The  streams  were  so  numerous  that  even  Dr.  Livingstone 
himself  was  perplexed.  The  people  had  been  unable  to  find 
names  for  them,  and  the  catalogue  which  we  could  glean  from 
the  doctor's  journal  would  take  the  premium  as  a  punitive  exer- 


736  THE   LAST   BIRTHDAY. 

cise  for  first-class  convicts.  Much  of  the  country  was  of  course 
utterly  desolate.  No  human  being  could  live  in  the  midst  of 
such  floods ;  all  was  water,  water ;  no  land ;  a  wilderness  of 
water;  the  antipode;  the  scorching  wilderness  of  sand,  where 
poor  Chobo  wandered. 

The  floods  gave  the  sites  of  the  little  villages  that  were  seen 
the  appearance  of  islands,  and  the  doctor  seems  to  have  had  the 
impression  that  they  were  really  in  the  shallow  portions  of  the 
lake.  Much  of  the  time  the  entire  party  had  to  be  transported 
from  place  to  place  in  the  small,  unsafe  canoes  of  fishermen. 
The  old  disorder  recurred  more  frequently  and  violently,  and 
most  solemn  and  anxious  reflections  forced  themselves  on  the 
sufierer.  We  see  them  in  such  words  as  the  following,  which 
were  found  entered  in  his  pocket-book :  "  If  the  good  Lord 
gives  me  favor  and  permits  me  to  finish  my  work,  I  shall 
thank  and  bless  him,  though  it  has  cost  me  untold  toil,  pain, 
and  trouble;  this  trip  has  made  my  hair  all  gray."  Only  one 
hope  seemed  to  be  left  them  ;  the  water  on  the  plain  was  deeper 
and  deeper.  The  Lofu  had  been  crossed  and  the  Charabeze  was 
before  them — beyond,  the  island-home  of  Matipa.  After  inex- 
pressible hardships  and  perplexities,  that  place  was  reached  on 
the  2d  of  March.  There  was  no  memory  or  tradition  of  any 
European  having  been  there  before.  The  difficulties  inseparable 
from  the  locality  were  increased  now  by  the  perfidy  of  jMapida, 
who  under  most  flattering  pretences  was  soon  found  to  be  act- 
ing the  villain.  The  promised  canoes  did  not  come.  The  days 
passed,  and  the  19^/?  o/  3farch.  The  last  birthday  came  in  the 
midst  of  the  greatest  trials ;  on  that  day  Dr.  Livingstone  wrote 
the  characteristic  lines :  "  Thanks  to  the  Almighty  Preserver  of 
men  for  preserving  me  thus  far  on  the  journey  of  life.  Can  I 
hope  for  ultimate  success?  so  many  obstacles  have  arisen  !  Let 
not  Satan  prevail  over  me,  O  my  Lord  Jesus."  Verily,  he 
knew  in  whom  he  had  believed  ;  God  was  there  :  an  omnipresent 
God! 

At  length  the  canoes  were  obtained ;  only  when  the  chief 
and  his  people  had  received  a  hint  that  the  peaceable  man  might 
become  dangerous.  And  on  the  little  islet  Luangwa,  surrounded 
by  that  wilderness  of  water,  the  brave  man  wrote  again  in  his 
journal :  '•'  Nothing  earthly  shall  make  me  give  up  my  work  in 


SUFFEEINGS   AND   LONGINGS.  737 

despair.  I  encourage  myself  in  the  Lord  my  God,  and  go  for- 
ward." At  length  the  Chambeze  was  behind  them,  with  its 
rushing  flood — but  all  was  flood  still.  They  left  Kabinga's 
with  tiieir  baggage  in  canoes  and  the  men  wading  beside  them, 
whilst  the  doctor  himself  was  pulled  along  in  a  canoe  nearer 
the  lake  in  deeper  water.  Pitiless  rains  from  above  conspired 
with  the  floods  around  them.  There  was  no  escape ;  no  respite. 
The  heavy  exertions,  coupled  with  constant  exposure,  extreme 
anxiety  and  annoyance,  inseparable  from  the  care  of  so  large  a 
party  in  such  a  realm  of  water,  brought  on  another  severe  attack. 
The  10th  of  April  he  writes:  "I  am  pale,  bloodless,  and  weak 
from  bleeding  profusely  ever  since  the  31st  of  March  last :  an 
artery  gives  off"  a  copious  stream,  and  takes  away  my  strength  ; " 
then  he  exclaims:  "Oh,  how  I  long  to  be  permitted  by  the 
Over-power  to  finish  my  work  !  " 

It  is  almost  incredible  that  this  man  should  still  insist  on 
tottering  along — hours  at  a  time.  But  even  the  most  powerful 
will  must  fail  some  time  to  sustain  a  human  body,  and  at  last 
Dr.  Livingstone  was  obliged  to  submit  to  the  kindness  of  his 
men  who  were  so  eager  to  carry  him,  as  they  saw  how  rapidly 
his  strength  was  failing.  At  Chinama  they  were  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Lolotikila — the  13th  of  April.  The  dry  season  was 
now  coming  on ;  the  sky  was  clearing  and  the  southeast  wind 
was  beginning  to  blow.  The  rain-fall  was  estimated  at  seventy- 
three  inches — six  feet ! — much  the  heaviest  ever  known  in  that 
latitude.  The  doctor  was  able  then  with  the  stump  of  a  pencil 
to  enter  a  rather  more  extensive  sketch  of  the  country  than 
usual ;  of  it  he  says  :  "  One  sees  interminable  grassy  prairies 
with  lines  of  trees,  occupying  quarters  of  miles  in  breadth,  and 
with  these  give  way  to  bouga  or  prairie  again.  The  bouga  is 
flooded  annually,  but  its  vegetation  consists  of  dry-land  grasses. 
Other  bouga  extend  out  from  the  lake  up  to  forty  miles,  and 
are  known  by  aquatic  vegetation,  such  as  lotus,  papyrus,  aruma, 
rushes  of  different  species,  and  many  kinds  of  purely  aquatic 
subaqueous  plants  which  send  up  their  flowers  only  to  fructify 
in  the  sun,  and  then  sink  to  ripen  one  bunch  after  another. 
Others,  with  great  cabbage-looking  leaves,  seem  to  remain 
always  at  the  bottom.  The  young  of  fish  swarm^  and  bob  in 
and  out  from  the  leaves.     A  species  of  soft  moss  grows  on  most 


738  FALLS   TO   THE   GROUND. 

plants,  and  seems  to  be  good  fodder  for  fishes,  fitted  by  hooked 
or  turned-up  noses  to  guide  it  into  their  maws. 

"  One  species  of  fish  has  the  lower  jaw  turned  down  into  a 
hook,  which  enables  the  animal  to  hold  its  mouth  close  to  the 
plant  as  it  glides  up  or  down,  sucking  in  all  the  soft  pulpy 
food.  The  superabundance  of  gelatinous  nutriment  makes  these 
swarraers  increase  in  bulk  with  extraordinary  rapidity,  and  the 
food  supply  of  the  people  is  plenteous  in  consequence.  The 
number  of  fish  caught  by  weirs,  baskets,  and  nets  now,  as  the 
waters  decline,  is  prodigious.  The  fish  feel  their  element  be- 
coming insufficient  for  comfort,  and  retire  from  one  bouga  to 
another  towards  the  lake ;  the  narrower  parts  are  duly  prepared 
by  weirs  to  take  advantage  of  their  necessities ;  the  sun  heat 
seems  to  oppress  them  and  force  them  to  flee.  With  the  south- 
east aerial  current  comes  heat  and  sultriness.  A  blanket  is 
scarcely  needed  till  the  early  hours  of  the  morning,  and  here, 
after  the  turtle-doves  and  cocks  give  out  their  warning  calls  to 
the  watchful,  the  fish-eagle  lifts  up  his  remarkable  voice.  It  is 
pitched  in  a  high  falsetto  key,  very  loud,  and  seems  as  if  he 
were  calling  to  some  one  in  the  other  world.  Once  heard,  his 
weird  unearthly  voice  can  never  be  forgotten — it  sticks  to  one 
through  life." 

A  few  days  more  he  seemed  to  sustain  his  interest  in  the 
country,  but  he  was  sinking  rapidly ;  he  became  unable  to  do 
more  than  make  the  shortest  memoranda.  On  the  21st  of  April 
he  tried  to  ride  on  the  remaining  donkey,  "  but  he  had  only  gone 
a  short  distance  when  he  fell  to  the  ground  utterly  exhausted 
and  faint.  Susi  immediately  undid  his  belt  and  pistol,  and 
picked  up  his  cap  which  had  dropped  off,  w^hile  Chuma  threw 
down  his  gun  and  ran  to  stop  the  men  on  ahead.  When  he  got 
back  the  doctor  said,  '  Chuma,  I  have  lost  so  much  blood  there 
is  no  more  strength  left  in  my  legs :  you  must  carry  me.'  He 
was  then  assisted  gently  to  his  shoulders,  and,  holding  the  man's 
head  to  steady  himself,  was  borne  back  to  the  village  and  placed 
in  the  hut  he  had  so  recently  left.  It  was  necessary  to  let  the 
chief  Muanazawamba  know  what  had  happened,  and  for  this 
purpose  Dr.  Livingstone  despatched  a  messenger,  lie  Avas 
directed  to  ask  him  to  supply  a  guide  for  the  next  day,  as  lie 
trusted  then  to  have  recovered  so  far  as  to  be  able  to  march; 


jf^    >io   oJ2.-sK^^   3^'tj^   U^^^^C^i) 


AUTOGRAPH    FACSIMILE  OF     LAST    ENTRY 


IN        LIVINGSTONES    NOTE     BOOK 


THE   LAST   WRITTEN   WORDS.  74.*i 

the  answer  was,  '  Stay  as  long  as  you  wish,  and  when  you  want 
guides  to  Kalunganjovu's  you  shall  have  them.'  " 

His  servants  say  that  instead  of  rallying  they  saw  tliat  his 
strength  was  becoming  less  and  less,  and  in  order  to  carry  him 
they  made  a  kitanda  of  wood,  consisting  of  two  side  pieces  of 
seven  feet  in  length,  crossed  with  rails  three  feet  long,  and  about 
four  inches  apart,  the  whole  lashed  strongly  together.  This 
framework  was  covered  with  grass,  and  a  blanket  laid  on  it. 
Slung  from  a  jx)le,  and  borne  between  two  strong  men,  it  made 
a  tolerable  palanquin,  and  on  this  the  exhausted  traveller  was 
conveyed  to  the  next  village  through  a  flooded  grass  plain.  To 
render  the  kitanda  more  comfortable  another  blanket  was  sus- 
pended across  the  pole,  so  as  to  hang  down  on  either  side,  and 
allow  the  air  to  pass  under  whilst  the  sun's  rays  were  fended  off 
from  the  sick  man.  He  was  borne  as  tenderly  as  possible  by 
his  faithful  men,  Chuma  or  Susi ;  one  remained  constantly  be- 
side him.  The  doctor  only  had  strength  to  enter  the  days  of 
the  month— 22d,  23d,  24th,  25th,  26th.  On  the  27th  he 
"seems  to  have  been  almost  dying."  That  day  he  wrote  his 
last  words ;  they  were  these : 

"JCnocked  up  quite,  and  remain;  recovei' ;  sent  to  buy  milch 
goafs.      We  are  on  the  banks  of  R,  Ifolilamo." 

There  seems  to  have  been  an  effort  to  get  something  which 
he  trusted  would  restore  his  strength,  but  the  "INIazitu  had 
taken  everything." 

They  were  at  the  village  of  Kalunganjovu  from  the  27th  to 
the  29th.  He  was  a  generous-hearted  man,  and  manifested 
much  real  sympathy  for  the  sufferer,  and  went  himself  to  super- 
intend the  passage  of  the  stream.  When  they  were  ready  to  set 
out  Susi  went  into  the  hut  of  Dr.  Livingstone,  but  the  doctor 
was  unable  to  walk  to  the  door.  His  men  removed  one  side  of 
,  the  frail  abode,  and  placing  the  kitanda  by  the  side  of  his  bed, 
lifted  him  gently  to  it,  and  raising  the  burden  to  their  shoulders 
marched  out  of  the  village. 

"Their  course  was  in  the  direction  of  the  stream,  and  they 
followed  it  till  they  came  to  a  reach  where  the  current  Avas  un- 
interrupted by  the  numerous  little  islands  which  stood  partly  in 
the  river  and  partly  in  the  flood  on  the  upper  waters.  IvaUin- 
^njovu  was  seated  on  a  knoll,  and  actively  superintended  the 


744  CARRIED   ON   A   KITANDA. 

embarkation,  wliilst  Dr.  Livingstone  told  his  bearers  to  take 
him  to  a  tree  at  a  little  distance  off,  that  he  might  rest  in  the 
shade  till  most  of  the  men  were  on  the  other  side.  A  good 
deal  of  care  was  required,  for  the  river,  by  no  means  a  large  one 
in  ordinary  times,  spread  its  waters  in  all  directions,  so  that  a 
false  step,  or  a  stumble  in  any  unseen  hole,  would  have  drenched 
the  invalid  and  the  bed  also  on  which  he  was  carried. 

*'  The  passage  occupied  some  time,  and  then  came  the  difficult 
task  of  conveying  the  doctor  across,  for  the  canoes  were  not 
wide  enough  to  allow  the  kitanda  to  be  deposited  in  the  bottom 
of  either  of  them.  Hitherto,  no  matter  how  weak,  Livingstone 
had  always  been  able  to  sit  in  the  various  canoes  they  had  used 
on  like  occasions,  but  now  he  had  no  power  to  do  so.  Taking 
his  bed  off  the  kitanda,  they  laid  it  in  the  bottom  of  the 
strongest  canoe,  and  tried  to  lift  him ;  but  he  could  not  bear  the 
pain  of  a  hand  being  passed  under  his  back.  Beckoning  to 
Chuma,  in  a  faint  voice  he  asked  him  to  stoop  down  over  him 
as  low  as  possible,  so  that  he  might  clasp  his  hands  together 
behind  his  head,  directing  him  at  the  same  time  how  to  avoid 
putting  any  pressure  on  the  lumbar  region  of  the  back ;  in  this 
way  he  was  deposited  in  the  bottom  of  the  canoe,  and  quickly 
ferried  across  the  Mulilamo  by  Chowpere,  Susi,  Farijala,  and 
Chuma.  The  same  precautions  were  used  on  the  other. side: 
the  kitanda  was  brought  close  to  the  canoe,  so  as  to  prevent  any 
unnecessary  pain  in  disembarking. 

"  Susi  now  hurried  on  ahead  to  reach  Chitambo's  village,  and 
superintend  the  building  of  another  house.  For  the  first  mile 
or  two  they  had  to  carry  the  doctor  through  swamps  and 
plashes,  glad  to  reach  something  like  a  dry  plain  at  last. 

"  It  would  seem  that  his  strength  was  here  at  its  very  lowest 
ebb.  Chuma,  one  of  his  bearers  on  these  the  last  weary  miles 
the  great  traveller  was  destined  to  accomplish,  says  that  they 
were  every  now  and  then  implored  to  stop  and  place  their  bur- 
den on  the  ground.  So  great  were  the  pangs  of  his  disease 
during  tiiis  day  that  he  could  make  no  attempt  to  stand,  and  if 
lifted  for  a  few  yards  a  drowsiness  came  over  him  which  alarmed 
them  all  excossivdy.  This  was  specially  the  case  at  one  spot 
where  a  tree  stocnl  in  the  path.  Here  one  of  his  attendants  was 
called  to  him,  and  on  stooping  down  he  found  him  unable  to 


THE   LAST   MILE.  747 

ppeak  from  faintncss.  They  replaced  him  in  the  kitanda,  and 
made  the  best  of  their  way  on  the  journey.  Some  distance  far- 
ther on  great  thirst  oppressed  him ;  he  asked  them  if  they  had 
any  water,  but,  unfortunately,  for  once  not  a  drop  was  to  be 
procured.  Hastening  on  for  fear  of  getting  too  far  separated 
from  the  party  in  advance,  to  their  great  comfort  they  now  saw 
Farijala  approaching  with  some  which  Susi  had  thoughtfully 
sent  off  from  Chitambo's  village. 

"Still  wending  their  way  on,  it  seemed  as  if  they  would  not 
complete  their  task,  for  again  at  a  clearing  the  sick  man  en- 
treated them  to  place  him  on  the  ground,  and  to  let  him  stay 
where  he  was.  Fortunately  at  this  moment  some  of  the  out- 
lying huts  of  the  village  came  into  sight,  and  they  tried  to  rally 
him  by  telling  him  that  he  would  quickly  be  in  the  house  that 
the  others  had  gone  on  to  build,  but  they  were  obliged  as  it  was 
to  allow  him  to  remain  for  an  hour  in  the  native  gardens  out- 
side the  town. 

"  On  reaching  their  companions  it  was  found  that  the  work 
was  not  quite  finished,  and  it  became  necessary  therefore  to  lay 
him  under  the  broad  eaves  of  a  native  hut  till  things  were 
ready. 

"  Chitambo's  village  at  this  time  was  almost  empty.  When 
the  crops  are  growing  it  is  the  custom  to  erect  little  temporary 
houses  in  the  fields,  and  the  inhabitants,  leaving  their  more  sub- 
stantial huts,  pass  the  time  in  watching  their  crops,  which  are 
scarcely  more  safe  by  day  than  by  night;  thus  it  was  that  the 
men  found  plenty  of  room  and  shelter  ready  to  their  hand. 
Many  of  the  people  approached  the  spot  where  he  lay  whose 
praises  had  reached  them  in  previous  years,  and  in  silent  won- 
der they  stood  round  him  resting  on  their  bows.  Slight  driz- 
zling showers  were  falling,  and  as  soon  as  possible  his  house  was 
made  ready  and  banked  round  with  earth. 

"  Inside  it,  the  bed  was  raised  from  the  floor  by  sticks  and 
grass,  occupying  a  ])osition  across  and  near  to  the  bay-shaped 
end  of  the  hut :  in  the  bay  itself  bales  and  boxes  were  deposited, 
one  of  the  latter  doing  duty  for  a  table,  on  which  the  medicine 
chest  and  sundry  other  things  were  placed.  A  fire  was  lighted 
outside,  nearly  opposite  the  door,  wliilst  the  boy  Majwara  slept 
just  within  to  attend  to  his  master's  wants  in  the  night. 
38 


748  THE    LAST    WORDS. 

"On  the  30th  of  April,  1873,  Chitambo  came  early  to  pay  a 
visit  of  courtesy,  and  was  shown  into  the  doctor's  presence,  but 
he  was  obliged  to  send  him  away,  telling  him  to  come  again  on 
the  morrow,  when  he  hoped  to  have  more  strength  to  talk  to 
him,  and  he  was  not  again  disturbed.  In  the  afternoon  he 
asked  Susi  to  bring  his  watch  to  the  bedside,  and  explained  to 
him  the  position  in  which  to  hold  his  hand,  that  it  might  lie  in 
the  palm  whilst  he  slowly  turned  the  key. 

"  So  the  hours  stole  on  till  nightfall.  The  men  silently  took 
to  their  huts,  whilst  others,  whose  duty  it  was  to  keep  watch, 
sat  round  the  fires,  all  feeling  that  the  end  could  not  be  far  off. 
About  lip.  M.  Susi,  whose  hut  Avas  close  by,  was  told  to  go  to 
his  master.  At  the  time  there  were  loud  shouts  in  the  distance, 
and,  on  entering,  Dr.  Livingstone  said,  'Are  our  men  making 
that  noise?'  'No,' replied  Susi;  'I  can  hear  from  the  cries 
that  the  people  are  scaring  away  a  buffalo  from  their  dura  fields.' 
A  few  minutes  afterwards  he  said  slowly,  and  evidently  wan- 
dering, 'Is  this  the  Luapula?'  Susi  told  him  they  were  in 
Chitambo's  village,  near  the  Mulilamo,  when  he  was  silent  for 
a  while.  Again,  speaking  to  Susi,  in  Suaheli  this  time,  he 
.said,  'Sikun'gapi  kuenda  Luapula?'  (How  many  days  is  it  to. 
the  Luapula?) 

, " '  Na  zani  zikutatu,  Bwana '  (I  think  it  is  three  days,  mas- 
ter), replied  Susi. 

"A  few  seconds  after,  as  if  in  great  pain,  he  half  sighed, 
half  said,  'Oh  dear,  dear ! '  and  then  dozed  off  again. 

"It  was  about  an  hour  later  that  Susi  heard  Majwara  again 
outside  the  door,  '  Bwana  wants  you,  Susi.'  On  reaching  the 
bed  the  doctor  told  him  he  wished  him  to  boil  some  water,  and 
for  this  purpose  he  went  to  the  fire  outside,  and  soon  returned 
with  the  copper  kettle  full.  Calling  him  close,  he  asked  him  to 
bring  his  medicine-chest  and  to  hold  the  candle  near  him,  for 
the  man  noticed  he  could  hardly  see.  AVith  great  difficulty  Dr. 
Livingstone  selected  the  calomel,  which  he  told  him  to  place  by 
his  side  ;  then,  directing  him  to  pour  a  little  water  into  a  cup, 
and  to  put  another  empty  one  by  it,  lie  said  in  a  low,  feeble 
voice,  'AH  right ;  you  can  go  out  now.'  These  were  the  last 
words  he  was  ever  heard  to  speak. 

"  It  must  have  been  about  4  a.  m.  when  Susi  heard  Majwara's 


DEATH.  751 

step  once  more.  '  Come  to  Bwana,  I  am  afraid  ;  I  don't  know 
if  he  is  alive.'  The  lad's  evident  alarm  made  Susi  run  to 
arouse  Chuma,  Chovvpere,  Matthew,  and  Muanyasere,  and  the 
six  men  went  immediately  to  the  hut. 

"  Passing  inside  they  looked  towards  the  bed.  Dr.  Living- 
stone was  not  lying  on  it,  but  appeared  to  be  engaged  in 
prayer,  and  they  instinctively  drew  backwards  for  the  instant. 
Pointing  to  him,  Majwara  said,  'When  I  lay  down  he  was  just 
as  he  is  now,  and  it  is  because  I  find  that  he  does  not  move 
that  I  fear  he  is  dead.'  They  aslied  the  lad  how  long  he  had 
slept.  Majwara  said  he  could  not  tell,  but  he  was  sure  that  it 
was  some  considerable  time :  the  men  drew  nearer. 

"A  candle  stuck  by  its  own  wax  to  the  top  of  the  box  shod 
a  light  sufficient  for  them  to  see  his  form.  Dr.  Livingstone  was 
kneeling  by  the  side  of  his  bed,  his  body  stretched  forward,  his 
head  buried  in  his  hands  upon  the  pillow.  For  a  minute  they 
watched  him  :  he  did  not  stir,  there  was  no  sign  of  breathing  ; 
then  one  of  them,  Matthew,  advanced  softly  to  him  and  placed 
his  hands  to  his  cheeks.  It  was  sufficient;  life  had  been  ex- 
tinct some  time,  and  the  body  was  almost  cold :  Livingstone 
was  dead. 

"His  sad-hearted  servants  raised  him  tenderly  up  and  laid 
him  at  full  length  on  the  bed,  then  carefully  covering  him 
they  went  out  into  the  damp  night  air  to  consult  together.  It 
was  not  long  before  the  cocks  crew,  and  the  morning  of  the  1st 
of  May  dawned  on  the  scene." 

There  were  no  parting  words.  There  were  thoughts.  God 
only  knows  them.  Alone,  on  his  knees,  in  the  heart  of  Africa, 
the  brave,  good  man  died.  His  life  had  been  a  sacrifice ;  his 
death  was  a  supplication.  He  did  not  give  up  his  work ;  he 
resigned  it  to  God. 


CHAPTER    XXXV. 

BURIAL  AT  WESTMINSTER  ABBEY. 

The  Acknowledgment— Anxieties  of  the  Men— The  Council— Chuma  and  Sus\ 
— Chitambo's  Kindness— Native  Honors  to  the  Dead— Hut  where  the  Body 
Avas  Prepared— The  Materials  for  Preparing  the  Body— A  Special  Mourner— 
The  Embalmment— Tlie  Inscription— Preparation  for  Departing— Promises  of 
Chitambo— Pwoute  of  Boys— Severe  Trials— The  Luapula— Crossing— An  Old 
Servant— An  Accident— Native  Surgery— "An  Unfortunate  Affair"— The 
Fight— The  Pvcsults— The  Excuse— Objection  to  Flags— The  Kalongosi— In 
the  Old  Path — The  Lake — New  Scenes — Easier  Route  to  Unyanyembe — The 
News  Received — Resolution  of  the  Men — Justifiable  Deception — A  Dreadful 
Snake— Arrival  at  Bagamoio— The  Precious  Freight— The  Kilwa— Reception 
in  England — Identification — Burial. 

The  curtain  falls ;  the  drama  of  a  wonderful  life  is  closed. 
The  work  is  ended ;  the  hero  died  at  his  post.  It  remains 
only  for  us  to  see  how  faithfully  his  followers  cared  for  his 
remains,  and  how  well  and  bravely  they  won  for  themselves 
tiie  gratitude  and  applause  of  the  civilized  world.  It  has  been 
necessary  to  introduce  the  account  of  the  leaders  of  the  caravan 
in  the  homeward  march  so  closely,  that  it  is  due  the  Rev.  Horace 
Waller,  the  distinguished  editor  of  the  "Last  Journals,"  and  also 
]Mr.  John  Murray,  of  London,  the  publisher,  to  accredit  them 
with  it.  We  feel  that  the  readers  of  this  book  will  appreciate 
having  this  narrative  as  fully  as  possible,  and  we  feel  confident 
also  that  the  gentlemen  named  will  appreciate  our  motives  iu 
using  these  few  pages  of  their  work. 

It  was  not  without  some  alarm  that  the  men  realized  their 
more  immediate  difficulties:  none  could  see  better  than  they 
what  complications  might  arise  in  an  hour. 

They  know  the  superstitious  horror  connected  with  the  dead 
to  be  prevalent  in  the  tribes  around  them,  for  the  departed 
spirits  of  men  are  universally  believed  to  have  vengeance  and 
mischief  at  heart  as  their  ruling  idea  in  the  land  beyond  the 
grave.  All  rites  turn  on  this  belief.  The  religion  of  the 
African  is  a  weary  attempt  to  propitiate  those  who  show  them- 
752 


SUSI   AND  CHUMA.  753 

selves  to  be  still  able  to  haunt  and  dcstroy/as  war  comes  or  an 
accident  happens. 

On  this  account  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  chief  and 
people  make  common  cause  against  those  who  wander  through 
their  territory,  and  have  the  misfortune  to  lose  one  of  their 
party  by  death.  Who  is  to  tell  the  consequences  ?  Such  occur- 
rences are  looked  on  as  most  serious  offences,  and  the  men 
regarded  their  position  with  no  small  apprehension. 

Calling  the  whole  party  together,  Susi  and  Chuma  placed 
the  state  of  affairs  before  them,  and  asked  what  should  be  done. 
They  received  a  reply  from  those  whom  INIr.  Stanley  had  en- 
gaged for  Dr.  Livingstone,  M'hich  was  hearty  and  unanimous. 
''You,"  said  they,  "are  old  men  in  travelling  and  in  hardships; 
you  must  act  as  our  chiefs,  and  we  will  promise  to  (;bey  what- 
ever you  order  us  to  do."  From  this  moment  we  may  look  on 
Susi  and  Chuma  as  the  captains  of  the  caravan.  To  thei-i- 
knowledge  of  the  country,  of  the  tribes  through  which  they 
were  to  pass,  but,  above  all,  to  the  sense  of  discipline  and  cohe- 
sion which  was  maintained  throughout,  their  safe  return  to 
Zanzibar  at  the  head  of  their  men  must,  under  God's  good 
guidance,  be  mainly  attributed. 

All  agreed  that  Chitambo  ought  to  be  kept  in  ignorance  of 
Dr.  Livingstone's  decease,  or  otherwise  a  fine  so  heavy  M'ould  be 
inflicted  upon  them  as  compensation  for  damage  done  that  their 
means  would  be  crippled,  and  they  could  hardly  expect  to  pay 
their  way  to  the  coast.  It  was  decided  that,  come  wliat  might, 
the  body  must  be  borne  to  Zanzibar.  It  was  also  arranged  to 
take  it  secretly,  if  possible,  to  a  hut  at  some  distance  off,  where 
the  necessary  preparations  could  be  carried  out,  and  for  this 
purpose  some  men  were  now  despatched  with  axes  to  cut  wood, 
M-hilst  others  Avent  to  collect  grass.  Chuma  set  off  to  see  Chi- 
tambo, and  said  that  they  wanted  to  build  a  place  outside  the 
village,  if  he  would  allow  it,  for  they  did  not  like  living  amongst 
the  huts.     His  consent  was  willingly  given. 

Later  on  in  the  day  two  of  the  men  went  to  the  people  to  buy 
food,  and  divulged  the  secret :  the  chief  was  at  once  informed 
of  what  had  happened,  and  started  for  the  spot  on  which  the 
new  buildings  were  being  set  up.  Appealing  to  Chuma,  he 
said,  "  AVhy  did  you  not  tell  me  the  truth  ?     I  know  that  your 


754  CIIJTAMBOS    KINDNESS. 

nia.ster  died  last  night.  You  were  afraid  to  let  me  know,  but 
do  not  fear  any  longer.  I,  too,  have  travelled,  and  more  than 
once  have  been  to  Bwani  (the  coast),  before  the  country  on  the 
road  was  destroyed  by  the  Mazitu.  I  know  that  you  have  no 
bad  motives  in  coming  to  our  land,  and  death  often  happens  to 
travellers  in  their  journeys."  Reassured  by  this  speech,  they 
told  him  of  their  intention  to  prepai'e  the  body  and  to  take  it 
Avith  them.  He,  however,  said  it  would  be  far  better  to  bury  it 
there,  for  they  were  undertaking  an  impossible  task ;  but  they 
held  to  their  resolution.  The  corpse  was  conveyed  to  the  new 
hut  the  same  day  on  the  kitanda,  carefully  covered  w^ith  cloth 
and  a  blanket. 

The  next  morning  SusI  paid  a  visit  to  Chitambo,  making  him 
a  handsome  present  and  receiving  in  return  a  kind  welcome. 
Following  out  his  suggestion,  it  was  agreed  that  all  honors 
should  be  shown  to  the  dead,  and  the  customary  mourning  was 
arranged  forthwith. 

At  the  proper  time,  Chitambo,  leading  his  people  and  accom- 
l)anied  by  his  wives,  came  to  the  new  settlement.  He  was  clad 
in  a  broad  red  cloth,  which  covered  the  shoulders,  whilst  the 
w'rapping  of  native  cotton  cloth,  worn  round  the  waist,  fell  as 
low  as  his  ankles.  All  carried  bows,  arrows,  and  spears,  but  no 
guns  were  seen.  Two  drummers  joined  in  the  loud  wailing 
lamentation,  which  so  indelibly  impresses  itself  on  the  memories 
of  people  who  have  heard  it  in  the  East,  whilst  the  band  of  ser- 
vants fired  volley  after  volley  in  the  air,  according  to  the  strict 
rule  of  Portuguese  and  Arabs  on  such  occasions. 

As  yet  nothing  had  been  done  to  the  corpse. 

A  separate  hut  was  now  built,  about  ninety  feet  from  the 
principal  one.  It  was  constructed  in  such  a  manner  that  it 
should  be  open  to  the  air  at  the  top,  and  sufficiently  strong  to 
defy  the  attempts  of  any  wild  beast  to  break  through  it. 
Firmly  driven  boughs  and  saplings  were  planted  side  by  side 
and  bound  together,  so  as  to  make  a  regular  stockade.  Close  to 
this  building  the  men  constructed  their  huts,  and,  finally,  the 
whole  settlement  had  another  high  stockade  carried  completely 
around  it. 

Arrangements  were  made  the  same  day  to  treat  the  corpse 
on  the  following  morning.     One  of  the  men,  Safene,  whilst  in 


A  SPECIAL    MOURNER.  757 

Kalunganjovu's  district,  bought  a  large  quantity  of  salt :  this 
was  purchased  of  him  for  sixteen  strings  of  beads;  there  was 
besides  some  brandy  in  the  doctor's  stores,  and  with  these  few 
materials  they  hoped  to  succeed  in  their  object. 

Farijala  was  appointed  to  the  necessary  task.  He  had  picked 
up  some  knowledge  of  the  method  pursued  in  making  post- 
moi'tem  examinations  whilst  a  servant  to  a  doctor  at  Zanzi- 
bar, and,  at  his  request,  Carras,  one  of  the  Nassick  boys,  was 
told  off  to  assist  him.  Previous  to  this,  however,  early  on  the 
3d  of  May,  a  special  mourner  arrived.  He  came  with  the 
anklets  whicli  are  worn  on  these  occasions,  composed  of  rows  of 
hollow  seed-vessels,  fitted  with  rattling  pebbles,  and  in  a  low 
monotonous  chant  sang,  whilst  he  danced,  as  follows : 

Lelo  kwa  Engerese, 
Muana  sisi  oa  kouda: 
Tu  kamb'  tamb'  Engerese. 

Which  translated  is — 

To-day  the  Englishman  is  dead, 
Who  has  dilTerent  hair  from  ours : 
Come  round  to  see  tlie  Englishman. 

His  task  over,  the  mourner  and  his  son,  who  accompanied  him 
in  the  ceremony,  retired  with  a  suitable  present  of  beads. 

The  emaciated  remains  of  the  deceased  traveller  were  soon 
afterwards  taken  to  the  place  prepared.  Over  the  heads  of 
Farijala  and  Carras — Susi,  Chuma,  and  Muanyasere  held  a 
thick  blanket  as  a  kind  of  screen,  under  which  the  men  per- 
formed their  duties.  Tofike  and  John  Waiuwright  were  present. 
Jacob  Wainwright  had  been  asked  to  bring  his  prayer  book 
with  him,  and  stood  apart  against  the  wall  of  the  enclosure. 

In  reading  about  the  lingering  sufferings  of  Dr.  Livingstone 
as  described  by  himself,  and  subsequently  by  these  faithful 
fellows,  one  is  quite  prepared  to  understand  their  explanation, 
and  to  see  why  it  was  possible  to  defer  these  operations  so  long 
after  death :  they  say  that  his  frame  was  little  more  than  skin 
and  bone.  Through  an  incision  carefully  made,  the  viscera 
were  removed,  and  a  quantity  of  salt  was  placed  in  the  trunk. 
All  noticed  one  very  significant  circumstance  in  the  autoi>sy. 
A  clot  of  coagulated  blood,  as  large  as  a  man's  hand,  lay  in  the 
left  side;    whilst  Farijala  pointed  to  the  state  of  the  lungs, 


758  THE  PREPARATION   OF   THE   BODY. 

which  they  describe  as  dried  up,  and  covered  with  black  and 
white  patches. 

The  heart,  with  the  other  parts  removed,  were  placed  in  a  tin 
box,  which  had  formerly  contained  flour,  and  decently  and 
reverently  buried  in  a  hole  dug  some  four  feet  deep  on  the  spot 
where  they  stood.  Jacob  was  then  asked  to  read  the  burial 
service,  which  he  did  in  the  presence  of  all.  The  body  was  left 
to  be  fully  exposed  to  the  sun.  No  other  means  were  taken  to 
preserve  it,  beyond  placing  some  brandy  in  the  mouth  and 
F-ome  on  the  hair;  nor  can  one  imagine  for  an  instant  that  any 
other  process  would  have  been  available  either  for  Europeans  or 
natives,  considering  the  rude  appliances  at  their  disposal.  The 
men  kept  watch  day  and  night  to  see  that  no  harm  came  to  their 
sacred  charge.  Their  huts  surrounded  the  building,  and  had 
force  been  used  to  enter  its  strongly-barred  tloor,  the  whole 
camp  would  have  turned  out  in  a  moment,  (^nce  a  day  the 
j^osition  of  the  body  was  changed,  but  at  no  otlier  time  was  any 
one  allowed  to  approach  it. 

No  molestation  of  any  kind  took  place  during  the  fourteen 
days'  exposure.  At  the  end  of  this  period  preparations  were 
made  for  retracing  their  steps.  The  corpse,  ])y  this  time  toler- 
ably dried,  was  wrapped  round  in  some  calico,  the  legs  being 
bent  inwards  at  the  knees  to  shorten  the  package.  The  next 
thing  was  to  plan  something  in  which  to  carry  it,  and,  in  the 
absence  of  planking  or  tools,  an  admirable  sul>stitnte  was  found 
by  stripping  from  a  Myonga  tree  enough  of  the  bark  in  one 
piece  to  form  a  cylinder,  and  in  it  their  master  was  laid.  Over 
this  case  a  piece  of  sail-cloth  was  sewn,  and  the  whole  package 
was  lashed  securely  to  a  pole,  so  as  to  be  carried  by  two  men. 

Jacob  Wainwright  was  asked  to  carve  an  inscription  on  the 
large  Mvula  tree  which  stands  by  the  place  where  the  body 
rested,  stating  the  name  of  Dr.  Livingstone  and  the  date  of  his 
death,  and,  before  leaving,  the  men  gave  strict  injunctions  to 
( -hitambo  to  keep  the  grass  cleared  away,  so  as  to  save  it  from 
the  bush  fires  which  annually  sweep  over  the  country  and 
destroy  so  many  trees.  Besides  this,  they  erected  close  to  the 
spot  two  high  thick  posts,  with  an  equally  strong  cross-piece, 
like  a  lintel  and  door-posts  in  form,  which  they  painted  thor- 
oughly with  the  tar  that  was  intended  for  the  boat;  this  sign 


RETURN  ROUTE.  750 

they  think  will  remain  for  a  long  time  from  the  solidity  of  the 
timber.  Before  parting  with  Chitambo,  they  gave  him  a  large 
tin  biscuit-box  and  some  newspapers,  which  would  serve  as 
evidence  to  all  future  travellers  that  a  white  man  had  been  at 
his  village. 

The  chief  promised  to  do  all  he  could  to  keep  both  the  tree 
and  the  timber  sign-posts  from  being  touched,  but  added,  that 
he  hoped  the  English  would  not  be  long  in  coming  to  see  him, 
because  there  was  always  the  risk  of  an  invasion  of  Mazitu, 
when  he  would  have  to  fly,  and  the  tree  might  be  cut  down  for 
a  canoe  by  some  one,  and  then  all  trace  would  be  lost.  All  wiis 
now  ready  for  starting,  and  the  homeward  march  was  begun. 
But  the  first  day's  journey  showed  them  that  some  additional 
precautions  were  necessary  to  enable  the  bearers  of  the  mournful 
burden  to  keep  to  their  task,  and  they  sent  back  to  Chitambo's 
for  the  cask  of  tar  they  had  deposited  with  him,  and  gave  a 
thick  coating  to  the  canvas  outside.  This  answered  all  pur- 
poses; they  left  the  remainder  at  the  next  village,  with  orders 
to  send  it  back  to  head-quarters,  and  then  continued  their 
course  through  Ilala,  led  by  their  guides  in  the  direction  of  the 
Luapula. 

A  moment's  inspection  of  the  map  will  explain  the  line  of 
country  to  be  traversed.  Susi  and  Chuma  had  travelled  with 
Dr.  Livingstone  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  northwest  shores  of 
Bangweolo  in  previous  years.  The  last  fatal  road  fi-om  the 
north  might  be  struck  by  a  march  in  a  due  northeast  direction, 
if  they  could  but  hold  out  so  far  without  any  serious  misfortune ; 
but  in  order  to  do  this  they  must  first  strike  northwards  so  as  to 
reach  the  Luapula,  and  then  crossing  it  at  some  part  not  neces- 
sarily far  from  its  exit  from  the  lake,  they  could  at  once  lay 
their  course  for  the  south  end  of  Tanganyika. 

There  were,  however,  serious  indications  amongst  them. 
First  one  and  then  the  other  dropped  out  of  the  file,  and  by  the 
time  they  reached  a  town  belonging  to  Chitambo's  brother — and 
on  the  third  day  only  since  they  set  out — half  their  number 
were  hors  de  combat  It  was  impossible  to  go  on.  A  few  hours 
more  and  all  seemed  affected.  The  symptoms  were  intense  pain 
in  the  limbs  and  face,  great  prostration,  and,  in  the  bad  cases, 
inability   to    move.     The   men   attributed  it  to  the  continual 


7G0  THE   LUAPULA. 

wading  through  water  before  the  doctor's  death.  They  thhik 
that  illness  had  been  waiting  for  some  further  slight  provoca- 
tion, and  that  the  previous  day's  tramp,  which  was  almost 
entirely  through  plashy  Bougas  or  swamps,  turned  the  scale 
against  them. 

Susi  was  suffering  very  much.  The  disease  settled  in  one 
leg,  and  then  quickly  shifted  to  the  other.  Songolo  nearly  died. 
Kaniki  and  Bahati,  two  of  the  women,  expired  in  a  few  days, 
and  all  looked  at  its  worst.  It  took  them  a  good  month  to 
rally  sufficiently  to  resume  their  journey. 

Fortunately  in  this  interval  the  rains  entirely  ceased,  and  the 
natives  day  by  day  brought  an  abundance  of  food  to  the  sick 
men.  From  them  they  heard  that  the  districts  they  were  now 
in  were  notoriously  unhealthy,  and  that  many  an  Arab  had 
fallen  out  from  the  caravan  march  to  leave  his  bones  in  these 
wastes.  One  day  five  of  the  party  made  an  excursion  to  the 
westward,  and  on  their  return  reported  a  large  deep  river  flow- 
ing into  the  Luapula  on  the  left  bank.  Unfortunately  no 
notice  was  taken  of  its  name,  for  it  would  be  of  considerable 
geographical  interest. 

At  last  they  were  ready  to  start  again,  and  came  to  one  of  the 
border  villages  in  Ilala  the  same  night,  but  the  next  day  several 
fell  ill  for  the  second  time,  Susi  being  quite  unable  to  move. 

Muanamazungu,  at  whose  place  these  relapses  occurred,  was 
fully  aware  of  everything  that  had  taken  pknce  at  Chitambo's, 
and  showed  the  men  the  greatest  kindness.  Not  a  day  passed 
without  his  bringing  them  some  present  or  other,  but  there  was 
a  great  disinclination  amongst  the  people  to  listen  to  any  details 
connected  with  Dr.  Livingstone's  death.  Some  return  for  their 
kindness  was  made  by  Farijala  shooting  three  buffaloes  near  the 
town  :  meat  and  good-will  go  together  all  over  Africa,  and  the 
liberal  sportsman  scores  points  at  many  a  turn.  A  cow  was 
purchased  here  for  some  brass  bracelets  and  calico,  and  on  the 
twentieth  day  all  were  sufficiently  strong  on  their  legs  to  push 
forwards. 

The  broad  waters  of  the  long-looked-for  Luapula  soon  came 
in  sight.  Putting  themselves  under  a  guide,  they  were  con- 
ducted to  the  village  of  Chisakiraalama,  who  willingly  offered 
them  canoes  for  the  passage  across  the  next  day. 


1,1V1N(.ST()NK  S     .MO>yLITO    CIKTAIN. 


AN    OLD   SERVANT    DESTUOVK 


CROSSING   THE   LUAPULA.  7G3 

The  report  that  the  men  give  of  this  mighty  river  makes  us 
instinctively  bend  our  eyes  on  the  dark  burden  laid  in  the 
canoe.  How  ardently  would  he  have  scanned  it  whose  body 
thus  passes  across  these  waters,  and  whose  spirit,  in  its  last 
liours'  sojourn  in  this  world,  wandered  in  thought  and  imagina- 
tion to  its  stream  ! 

It  would  seem  that  the  Luapula  at  this  point  is  double  the 
width  of  the  Zambesi  at  Shupanga.  This  gives  a  breadth  of 
fully  four  miles.  A  man  could  not  be  seen  on  the  opposite 
bank  :  trees  looked  small :  a  gun  could  be  heard,  but  no  shout- 
ing would  ever  reach  a  person  across  the  river — such  is  the 
description  given  by  men  who  were  well  able  to  compare  the 
Luapula  with  the  Zambesi.  Taking  to  the  canoes,  they  were 
able  to  use  the  "  m'phondo,"  or  punting  pole,  for  a  distance 
through  reeds,  then  came  clear  deep  water  for  some  four  hun- 
dred yards,  again  a  broad  reedy  expanse,  followed  by  another 
deep  part,  succeeded  in  turn  by  another  current  not  so  broad  as 
those  previously  paddled  across,  and  then,  as  on  the  starting 
side,  gradually  shoaling  water,  abounding  in  reeds.  Two 
islands  lay  just  above  the  crossing-place.  Using  pole  and  pad- 
dle alternately,  the  passage  took  them  fully  two  hours  across 
this  enormous  torrent,  which  carries  off  the  waters  of  Bangweolo 
towards  the  north. 

A  sad  mishap  befell  the  donkey  the  first  night  of  camping 
beyond  the  Luapula,  and  this  faithful  and  sorely-tried  servant 
was  doomed  to  end  his  career  at  this  spot. 

According  to  custom,  a  special  stable  was  built  for  him  close 
to  the  men.  In  the  middle  of  the  night  a  great  disturbance, 
coupled  with  the  shouting  of  Amoda,  aroused  the  camp.  The 
men  rushed  out  and  found  the  stable  broken  down  and  the 
donkey  gone.  Snatching  some  logs,  they  set  fire  to  the  grass, 
as  it  was  pitch  dark,  and  by  the  light  saw  a  lion  close  to  the 
body  of  the  poor  animal,  which  was  quite  dead.  Those  who 
had  caught  up  their  guns  on  the  first  alarm  fired  a  volley,  and 
the  lion  made  off.  It  was  evident  that  the  donkey  had  been 
seized  by  the  nose  and  instantly  killed.  At  daylight  the  spoor 
showed  that  the  guns  had  taken  effect.  The  lion's  blood  lay  in 
a  broad  track  (for  he  was  apparently  injured  in  the  back,  and 
could  only  drag  himself  along);  but  the  footprints  of  a  second 


764  FATE   OF   AX    OLD   SERVANT. 

lion  were  too  plain  to  make  it  advisable  to  track  him  far  in  tlie 
thick  cover  he  had  reached,  and  so  the  search  was  abandoned. 
The  body  of  the  donkey  was  left  behind,  but  two  canoes  re- 
mained near  the  village,  and  it  is  most  probable  that  it  went  to 
make  a  feast  at  Chisalamalama's. 

Travelling  through  incessant  swamp  and  water,  they  were 
fliin  to  make  their  next  stopping-place  in  a  spot  where  an  enor- 
mous ant-hill  spread  itself  out — a  small  island  in  the  waters. 
A  fire  was  lit,  and  by  employing  hoes,  most  of  them  dug  some- 
thing like  a  form  to  sleep  in  on  the  hard  earth.  Thankful  to 
leave  such  a  place,  they  passed  Kawingu  and  came  to  N'Kossu's. 
The  people  were  called  Kawende ;  they  formerly  owned  many 
cattle,  but  were  now  reduced.  They  had  been  put  under  the 
harrow  by  the  Wanyamwezi,  and  there  were  very  few  herds 
remaining,  A  present  was  made  of  a  cow ;  but  it  seems  that 
the  rule,  "  first  catch  your  hare,"  was  in  full  force  in  N'Kossu's 
pastures :  the  few  animals  were  exceeding  wild,  and  a  hunt  was 
set  on  foot  to  obtain  the  present.  In  this  hunt  one  of  our  party 
unfortunately  shot  a  villager,  and  broke  the  poor  fellow's  thigh. 
Although  it  was  clearly  an  accident,  such  things  do  not  readily 
settle  themselves  down  on  such  an  assumption  in  Africa.  The 
chief,  however,  behaved  well.  He  told  the  men  that  a  fine 
would  have  to  be  paid  on  the  return  of  the  wounded  man's 
father,  and  it  had  better  be  handed  to  him ;  for  by  the  law  the 
blame  would  fall  on  him  as  the  entertainer  of  the  man  who  had 
brought  about  the  injury.  He  admitted  that  he  had  ordered  all 
his  people  to  stand  clear  of  the  spot  where  the  disaster  occurred, 
but  he  sup})osed  that  in  this  instance  his  orders  had  not  been 
heard.  They  had  not  sufficient  goods  in  any  case  to  respond  to 
the  demand  ;  and  there  was  only  one  thing  left — the  leg  must  be 
mended.  The  process  adopted  to  set  the  broken  limb  is  a 
sample  of  native  surgery  which  must  not  be  passed  over. 

First  of  all  a  hole  was  dug,  say  two  feet  deep  and  four  in 
length,  in  such  a  manner  that  the  patient  could  sit  in  it  with 
his  legs  out  before  him.  A  large  leaf  was  then  bound  round 
the  fractured  thigh,  and  earth  thrown  in,  so  that  the  patient 
was  buried  up  to  the  chest.  The  next  act  was  to  cover  the 
earth  which  lay  over  the  man's  legs  with  a  thick  layer  of  mud; 
then  plenty  of  sticks  and  grass  were  collected,  and  a  fire  lit  oa 


KAWENDE   SUKGEKY. 


NATIVE  SURGERY.  707 

top  just  over  the  fracture.  To  prevent  tlie  smoke  smotliering 
the  sufferer,  they  held  a  broad  mat  as  a  screen  before  his  face, 
and  the  operation  went  on.  After  some  time  the  heat  reached 
the  limbs  under-ground.  Bellowing  with  fear  and  covered  with 
perspiration,  the  man  implored  tiiem  to  let  him  out.  When  the 
authorities  concluded  he  had  been  under  treatment  a  sufficient 
time,  they  quickly  burrowed  down  and  lifted  him  out.  He  was 
now  held  perfectly  fast,  whilst  two  strong  men  stretched  tiic 
wounded  limb  w^ith  all  their  might.  Splints  duly  prepared 
were  afterwards  bound  around  it ;  but  we  are  left  to  hope  only 
that  the  poor  man  was  restored  the  use  of  his  limb.  The  vil- 
lagers told  Chuma  that  after  the  Wanyamwezi  engagements 
they  constantly  treated  the  bud  gunshot  wounds  in  this  way 
with  perfect  success. 

Leaving  this  village,  the  men  made  for  the  territory  of  the 
AVa  Ussi.  Here  they  met  with  a  surly  welcome,  and  were  told 
that  they  must  pass  on.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  intelligence 
that  they  were  carrying  their  master  had  something  to  do  with 
it,  for  the  news  seemed  to  spread  with  the  greatest  rapidity  in 
every  direction. 

They  were  now  approaching  Chawende's  town,  parallel  to 
the  north  shore  of  the  lake,  and  at  no  great  distance  from  it,  on 
the  bank  of  the  Liposhosi  river. 

Approaching  Chawende's,  according  to  native  etiquette, 
Amoda  and  Sabouri  went  on  in  front  to  inform  the  chief  and 
ask  leave  to  enter  the  town.  As  they  did  not  come  back, 
Muanyasere  and  Chuma  set  off  after  them  to  ascertain  the 
reason  of  the  delay.  No  better  success  seemed  to  attend  this 
second  venture,  so  shouldering  their  burdens,  all  went  forward 
in  the  track  of  the  four  messengers. 

In  the  mean  time,  Chuma  and  Muanyasere  met  Amoda  and 
Sabouri  coming  back  towards  them  with  five  men.  They 
reported  that  they  had  entered  the  town,  but  found  it  a  veiy 
large  stockaded  place;  moreover,  two  other  villages  of  equal 
size  were  close  to  it.  INfuch  pombe-drinking  was  going  on. 
On  approaching  the  chief,  Amoda  had  rested  his  gun  against 
the  principal  hut  innocently  enough.  Chawende's  son,  druidc 
and  quarrelsome,  made  this  a  cause  of  offence,  and  swaggering 
up,  he  insolently  asked    them   how  they  dared    to   do  such  a 


7G8  "ax  unfoktuxate  affair." 

thing.  Chawende  interfered,  and  for  the  moment  prevented 
further  difliculty;  in  fact,  he  himself  seems  to  have  been  in- 
clined to  grant  the  favor  which  was  asked  :  however,  there  was 
danger  brewing,  and  the  men  retired. 

When  the  main  body  met  them  returning,  tired  with  their 
fruitless  errand,  a  consultation  took  place.  Wood  there  was 
none.  To  scatter  about  and  find  materials  with  which  to  build 
shelter  for  the  night,  would  only  offer  a  great  temptation  to 
these  drunken  excited  people  to  plunder  the  baggage.  It  was 
resolved  to  make  for  the  town. 

When  they  reached  the  gate  of  the  stockade  they  were  flatly 
refused  admittance,  those  inside  telling  them  to  go  down  to 
the  river  and  camp  on  the  bank.  They  replied  that  this  was 
impossible:  that  they  were  tired,  it  was  very  late,  and  nothing 
could  be  found  there  to  give  them  shelter.  Meeting  with  no 
different  answer,  Safene  said,  "Why  stand  talking  to  them? 
let  us  get  in  somehow  or  other;  "  and,  suiting  the  action  to  the 
word,  they  pushed  the  men  back  who  stood  in  the  gateway. 
Safene  got  through,  and  Muanyasere  climbed  over  the  top  of 
the  stockade,  followed  by  Cluima,  who  instantly  opened  the 
gate  wide  and  let  his  companions  through.  Hostilities  might 
still  have  been  averted  had  better  counsel  prevailed. 

The  men  began  to  look  about  for  huts  in  which  to  deposit 
their  things,  when  the  same  drunken  fellow  drew  a  bow  and 
fired  at  IMuanyasere.  The  man  called  out  to  the  others  to 
seize  him,  which  was  done  in  an  instant.  A  loud  cry  now  burst 
forth  that  the  chiefs  soii  was  in  danger,  and  one  of  the  people, 
hurling  a  spear,  wounded  Sabouri  slightly  in  the  thigh:  this 
was  the  signal  for  a  general  scrimmage. 

Chawende's  men  fled  from  the  town ;  the  drums  beat  the 
assembly  in  all  directions,  and  an  immense  number  flocked  to 
the  spot  from  the  two  neighboring  villages,  armed  with  their 
bows,  arrows,  and  spears.  An  assault  instantly  began  from  the 
outside.  N'chise  was  shot  with  an  arrow  in  the  shoulder  through 
the  palisade,  and  N'taru  in  the  finger.  Things  wer(S  becoming 
desperate  fi)r  the  caravan,  so,  putting  the  body  of  Dr.  Living- 
stone and  all  their  goods  and  chattels  in  one  hut,  the  men  charged 
out  of  the  town,  and  fired  on  the  assailants,  killing  two  and 
wounding  several  others.     Fearing  that  they  would  only  gather 


END   OF   THE   FIGHT.  7G9 

together  in  the  other  remaining  villages  and  renew  the  attack 
at  night,  the  men  carried  these  quickly  one  by  one  and  subse- 
quently burnt  six  others  which  were  built  on  the  same  side  of 
the  river,  then  crossing  over,  they  fired  on  the  canoes  which 
were  speeding  towards  the  deep  water  of  Bangweolo,  through  the 
channel  of  the  Liposbosi,  with  disastrous  results  to  the  fugitive 
people. 

Returning  to  the  town,  all  was  made  safe  for  the  night.  By 
the  fortunes  of  war,  sheep,  goats,  fowls,  and  an  immense  quantity 
of  food  fell  into  their  hands  ;  and  they  remained  for  a  week  to 
recruit.  Once  or  twice  they  found  men  approaching  at  night 
to  throw  fire  on  the  roofs  of  the  huts  from  outside,  but  with  this 
exception  they  were  not  interfered  with.  On  the  last  day  but 
one  a  man  approached  and  called  to  them  at  the  top  of  his  voice 
not  to  set  fire  to  the  chiefs  town  (it  was  his  that  they  occuj)ied); 
for  the  bad  son  had  brought  all  this  upon  them  ;  he  added  that 
the  old  man  had  been  overruled,  and  they  were  sorry  enough 
for  his  bad  conduct. 

With  the  account  given  of  this  occurrence  before  us,  we  cannot 
but  lament  the  loss  of  life  and  the  whole  circumstances  of  the 
fight.  Whilst  on  the  one  hand  we  may  imagine  that  the  loss 
of  a  cool,  conciliatory,  brave  leader  was  here  felt  in  a  grave  de- 
gree, we  must  also  see  that  it  was  known  far  and  wide  that  this 
very  loss  was  now  a  great  weakness  to  his  followers.  There  is 
no  surer  signs  of  mischief  in  Africa  than  these  trumpery  charges 
of  bewitching  houses  by  placing  things  on  them  :  some  such 
overstrained  accusation  is  generally  set  in  the  front  rank  when 
other  difficulties  are  to  come:  drunkenness  is  pretty  much  the 
same  thing  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  gathers  misery  around 
it  as  easily  in  an  African  village  as  in  an  English  city.  Had 
the  cortege  submitted  to  extortion  and  insult,  they  felt  that  their 
night  by  the  river  would  have  been  a  precarious  one — even  if 
they  had  been  in  a  humor  to  sleep  in  a  swamp  when  a  town  was 
at  hand.  These  things  gave  occasion  to  them  to  resort  to  force. 
The  desperate  nature  of  their  whole  enterprise  in  starting  for 
Zanzibar  perhaps  had  accumulated  its  own  stock  of  determina- 
tion, and  now  it  found  vent  under  evil  provocation.  If  there 
is  room  for  any  other  feeling  than  regret,  it  lies  in  the  fact  that, 
on  mature  consideration  and  in  sober  moments,  the  people  who 
suffered  cast  the  real  blame  on  the  right  shoulders. 


77.0  OBJECTION   TO   FLAGS. 

For  the  next  three  days  after  leaving  Chawende's  they  were 
still  in  the  same  inundated  fringe  of  bouga  wliich  surrounds  the 
lake,  and  on  each  occasion  had  to  camp  at  nigiitfall  wherever  a 
resting-place  could  be  found  in  the  jungle,  reaching  Chama's 
village  on  the  fourth  day.  A  delay  of  forty-eight  hours  was 
necessary,  as  Susi's  wife  fell  ill ;  and  for  the  next  few  marches 
she  was  carried  in  a  kitanda.  They  met  an  Unyamwesi  man 
here,  who  had  come  from  Kumbakumba's  town  in  the  Wa  Ussi 
district.  He  related  to  them  how  on  two  occasions  the  Wan- 
yamwesi  had  tried  to  carry  Chawende's  town  by  assank'.,  but  had 
been  repulsed  both  times.  But  with  the  strong  footing  these 
invaders  have  in  the  country,  armed  as  they  are  with  the  much- 
dreaded  guns,  it  can  only  be  a  matter  of  time  before  the  whole 
rule,  such  as  it  is,  passes  into  their  hands. 

A  few  days  brought  them  near  to  Chiwaie's  town,  whioh  they 
describe  as  a  very  strong  place,  fortified  with  a  stockade  and 
ditch.  Shortly  before  reaching  it,  some  villagers  tried  to  pick  a 
quarrel  with  them  for  carrying  flags.  It  was  their  invariable 
custom  to  make  the  drummer-boy,  Majwara,  march  at  their 
head,  whilst  the  Union  Jack  and  the  red  colors  of  Zanzibar  A^'ere 
carried  in  a  foremost  place  in  the  line.  Fortunately  a  chief  of 
some  importance  came  up  and  stopped  the  discussion,  or  there 
might  have  been  more  mischief,  for  the  men  were  in  no  temper 
to  lower  their  flag,  knowing  their  own  strength  pretty  well  by 
this  time.  Making  their  settlement  close  to  Chiwaie's,  thej" 
met  with  much  kindness,  and  were  visited  by  crowds  of  the: 
inhabitants. 

Three  days' journey  brought  them  to  Chiwaie's  uncle's  village ; 
sleeping  two  nights  in  the  jungle  they  made  Chungu's,  and  in 
another  day's  march  found  themselves,  to  their  great  delight,  at 
Kapesha's. 

They  saw  at  this  place  a  large  quantity  of  iron  and  copper 
wire  being  made  by  a  party  of  Wanyamwcsi.  The  process  is 
described  as  follows  :  A  heavy  piece  of  iron,  with  a  funnel-shaped 
hole  in  it,  is  firmly  fixed  in  the  fork  of  a  tree.  A  fine  rod  is 
then  thrust  into  it,  and  a  line  attached  to  the  first  few  inches 
which  can  be  coaxed  through.  A  number  of  men  haul  on  this 
line,  singing  and  dancing  in  tune,  and  thus  it  is  drawn  through 
the  first  drill ;  it  is  subsequently  passed  through  others  to  render 


THE   KAI.ONGOSI.  771 

it  still  finer,  and  excellent  wire  is  the  result.  Leaving  Kapesha, 
they  went  through  many  of  the  villages  already  enumerated  in 
Dr.  Livingstone's  diary.  Chama's  people  came  to  see  them 
as  they  passed  by  him,  and  after  some  mutterings  and  growlings 
Casongo  gave  them  leave  to  buy  ibod  at  his  town,  lleaching 
Chama's  head-quarters  they  camped  outside,  and  received  a  civil 
message,  telling  them  to  convey  his  orders  to  the  people  on  the 
banks  of  the  Kalongosi  that  the  travellers  must  be  ferried  safely 
across.  They  found  great  fear  and  misery  prevailing  in  the 
neighborhood  from  the  constant  raids  made  by  Kumbakuraba's 
men. 

Leaving  the  Kalongosi  behind  them  they  made  for  M'sama's 
sou's  town,  meeting  four  men  on  the  way  who  were  going  from 
Kumkakumba  to  Chama  to  beat  up  recruits  for  an  attack  on 
the  Katanga  people.  The  request  was  sure  to  be  met  with 
alarm  and  refusal,  but  it  served  very  well  to  act  the  part  taken 
by  the  wolf  in  the  fable.  A  grievance  would  immediately  be 
made  of  it,  and  Chama  "  eaten  up  "  in  due  course  for  daring  to 
gainsay  the  stronger  man.  Such  is  too  frequently  the  course  of 
native  oppression.  At  last  Kumbakumba's  town  came  in  sight. 
Already  the  large  district  of  Itawa  had  tacitly  allowed  itself  to 
be  put  under  the  harrow  by  this  ruffianly  Zanzibar  Arab. 
Black-mail  is  levied  in  all  directions,  and  the  petty  chiefe, 
although  really  under  tribute  to  Nsama,  are  sagacious  enough 
to  keep  in  with  the  powers  that  be. 

The  talk  was  still  about  the  break-up  of  Casembe's  power; 
but  by  far  the  most  interesting  news  that  reached  them  was  that 
a  party  of  Englishmen,  headed  by  Dr.  Livingstone's  son,  on 
their  way  to  relieve  his  father,  had  been  seen  at  Bagamoio  some 
months  previously. 

The  chief  showed  them  every  kindness  during  their  five  days' 
rest,  and  was  most  anxious  that  no  mishap  should  by  any  chance 
occur  to  their  principal  charge. 

Marching  was  now  much  easier,  and  the  men  quickly  found 
they  had  crossed  the  watershed.  The  Lofu  ran  in  front  of  them 
on  its  way  to  Tanganyika.  The  Kalongosi,  we  have  seen,  flowa 
to  Lake  Moero  in  the  opposite  direction.  More  to  their  pur- 
pose it  was  perhaps  to  find  the  terror  of  Kumbaknmba  dying 
away  as  they  travelled  in  a  northeasterly  direction,  and  cams 
39 


772  IN   THE   OLD   PATH. 

amongst  the  Mwarabi.  As  yet  no  invasion  had  taken  place, 
A  young  chief,  Chungu,  did  all  he  could  for  them;  for,  when 
the  doctor  explored  these  regions  before,  Chungu  had  been  much 
impressed  with  him,  and  now,  throwing  off  all  the  native  super- 
stition, he  looked  on  the  arrival  of  the  dead  body  as  a  cause  of 
real  sorrow. 

Asonmani  had  some  luck  in  hunting,  and  a  fine  buffalo  was 
killed  near  the  town.  Acx^ording  to  native  game-laws  (which 
in  some  respects  ara  exceedingly  strict  in  Africa),  Chungu  had 
a  right  to  a  fore-leg — had  it  been  an  elephant  the  tusk  next  the 
ground  would  have  been  his,  past  all  doubt — in  this  instance, 
however,  the  men  sent  in  a  j)lea  that  theirs  was  no  ordinary 
case,  and  that  hunger  had  laws  of  its  own ;  they  begged  to  be 
allowed  to  keep  the  whole  carcass,  and  Chungu  not  only  listened 
to  their  story,  but  willingly  waived  his  claim  to  the  chiefs 
share. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  these  sons  of  Tafuna,  the  head  and 
father  of  the  Amarabwi  a  lungu,  may  hold  their  own.  They 
seem  a  superior  race,  and  this  man  is  described  as  a  worthy 
leader.  His  brothers,  Kasonso,  Chitimbwa,  Sombe,  and  their 
sister,  Mombo,  are  all  notorious  for  their  reverence  for  Tafuna. 
In  their  villages  an  abundance  of  colored  home-spun  cloth 
speaks  for  their  industry ;  whilst  from  the  number  of  dogs  and 
elephant-spears  no  further  testimony  is  needed  to  show  that  the 
character  they  bear  as  great  hunters  is  well  deserved. 

The  steep  descent  to  the  lake  now  lay  before  them,  and  they 
came  to  Kasakalawe's.  Here  it  was  that  the  doctor  had  passed 
weary  months  of  illness  on  his  first  approach  to  Tanganyika  in 
previous  years.  The  village  contained  but  few  of  its  old  in- 
habitiavts,  but  those  few  received  them  hospitably  enough  and 
mourned  the  loss  of  him  who  had  been  so  well  appreciated  when 
alive.  So  they  journeyed  on  day  by  day  till  the  southern  end 
of  the  lake  was  rounded. 

The  previous  experience  of  the  difficult  route  along  the  heiglits 
bordering  on  Tanganyika  made  them  determine  to  give  the  lake 
a  wide  berth  this  time,  and  for  this  purpose  they  held  well  to  the 
eastward,  passing  a  number  of  small  deserted  villages,  in  one  of 
which  they  camped  nearly  every  night.  It  was  necessary  to  go 
through  the  Fipa  country,  but  they  learned  from  one  man  and 


NEW   SCENES.  773 

another  that  the  chief,  Kafoofi,  was  very  anxious  that  the  body 
should  not  be  brought  near  to  his  town — indeed,  a  guide  was 
purposely  thrown  in  their  way  who  led  them  past  it  by  a  con- 
siderable detour. 

Tlii»s  road  across  the  plain  seems  incomparably  the  best.  No 
difficulty  whatever  was  experienced,  and  one  cannot  but  lament 
the  toil  and  weariness  which  Dr.  Livingstone  endured  whilst 
holding  a  course  close  to  Tanganyika,  although  we  must  bear 
in  mind  that  by  no  other  means  at  the  time  could  he  c-omplete 
his  survey  of  this  great  inland  sea,  or  acquaint  us  with  its  har- 
boi-s,  its  bays,  and  the  rivers  which  find  their  way  into  it  on 
the  east. 

The  chief  feature  aft^r  leaving  this  point  was  a  three  days' 
march  ov^er  Lambalatnfipa,  an  abrupt  mountain  range,  which 
crosses  the  country  east  and  west,  and  attains,  it  would  seem,  an 
altitude  of  some  four  thousand  feet.  Looking  down  on  the 
plain  from  its  highest  passes  a  vast  lake  appears  to  stretch  away 
in  front  towards  the  north,  but  on  descending  this  resolves  itself 
into  a  glittering  plain,  for  the  most  part  covered  with  saline  in- 
crustations. The  path  lay  directly  across  this.  The  difficulties 
they  anticipated  had  no  real  existence,  for  small  villages  were 
found,  and  water  was  not  scarce,  although  brackish.  The  first 
demand  for  toll  was  made  near  here,  but  the  head  man  allowed 
them  to  pass  for  fourteen  strings  of  beads.  Susi  says  that  this 
plain  was  literally  swarming  with  herds  of  game  of  all  kinds: 
giraffij  and  zebra  were  particularly  abundant,  and  lions  revelled 
in  the  splendid  quarters.  The  settlements  they  came  to  belonged 
chiefly  to  elephant  hunters,  and  the  skill  of  Farijala  and  Muan- 
yasere  brought  plenty  of  beef  into  camp. 

As  they  approached  the  Likwa,  a  long  string  of  men  was  seen 
on  the  opposite  side  filing  down  to  the  water,  and  being  uncer- 
tain of  their  intentions,  precautions  were  quickly  taken  to  insure 
the  safety  of  the  baggage.  Dividing  themselves  into  three  par- 
ties, the  first  detachment  went  across  to  meet  the  strangers, 
carrying  the  Arab  flag  in  front.  Chuma  headefl  another  band 
at  a  little  distance  in  the  rear  of  these,  whilst  Susi  and  a  few 
more  crou(^hed  in  the  jungle,  with  the  body  concealed  in  a 
roughly-made  hut.  Their  fears,  however,  were  needless:  it 
turned  out  to  be  a  caravan  bound  for  Fipa  to  hunt  elephants 


774  CHUMA   REACHES   UNYANYEMBE. 

and  buy  ivory  and  slaves.  The  new  arrivals  told  them  that 
they  had  come  straight  through  Unyanyerabe  from  Bagamoio, 
oil  the  coast,  and  that  the  doctor's  death  had  already  been  re- 
ported there  by  natives  of  Fipa. 

With  no  small  satisfaction  the  men  learned  from  the  outward- 
bound  caravan  that  the  previous  story  was  a  true  one,  and  they 
were  assured  that  Dr.  Livingstone's  son  with  two  Englishmen 
and  a  quantity  of  goods  had  already  reached  Unyanycmbe. 

The  country  here  showed  all  the  appearance  of  a  salt-pan ; 
indeed  a  quantity  of  verj'  good  salt  was  collected  by  one  of  the 
men,  who  thought  he  could  turn  an  honest  bunch  of  beads  with 
it  at  Unyanyembe. 

When  they  arrived  at  Baula,  Jacob  Wainwright,  the  scribe  of 
the  party,  was  commissioned  to  write  an  account  of  the  distress- 
ing circumstances  of  the  doctor's  death,  and  Chuma,  taking 
three  men  with  him,  pressed  on  to  deliver  it  to  the  English 
party  in  ]ierson.  The  rest  of  the  cortege  followed  them  through 
the  jungle  to  Chilunda's  village. 

The  Manyara  river  was  crossed  on  its  way  to  Tanganyika 
before  they  got  to  Chikooloo.  Leaving  this  village  behind 
them,  they  advanced  to  the  Ugunda  district,  now  ruled  by 
Kalimangombi,  the  son  of  Mbereke,  the  former  chief,  and  so  on 
to  Kasekera,  which,  it  will  be  remembered,  is  not  far  from 
Unyanyembe. 

When  Chuma  reached  the  Arab  settlement,  Lieutenant  Cam- 
eron was  quickly  put  in  possession  of  the  main  facts  of  Dr. 
Livingstone's  death  by  reading  Jacob's  letter,  and  Chuma  was 
questioned  concerning  it  in  the  presence  of  Dr.  Dillon  and 
Lieutenant  Murphy.  It  was  a  disappointment  to  find  that  the 
reported  arrival  of  Mr.  Oswell  Livingstone  was  entirely  errone- 
ous ;  but  Lieutenant  Cameron  showed  the  way-worn  men  every 
kindness.  Chuma  rested  one  day  before  setting  out  to  relieve 
his  comrades,  to  whom  he  had  arranged  to  make  his  way  as  soon 
as  ix)ssible.  Lieutenant  Cameron  cxprassed  a  fear  that  it  would 
not  be  safe  for  him  to  carry  the  cloth  he  was  willing  to  furnish 
them  with  if  he  had  not  a  stronger  convoy,  as  he  himself  had 
suffered  too  sorely  from  terrified  bearers  on  his  way  thither;  but 
the  young  fellows  were  pretty  well  acquainted  with  native 
marauders  by  this  time,  and  set  off  without  apprehension. 


TUE    RESOLUTION    OF   THE    MEN.  770 

And  now  the  greater  part  of  their  task  is  over.  The  weather- 
beaten  company  wind  their  way  into  the  well-known  settlement 
of  Kwihara.  A  host  of  Arabs  and  their  attendant  slaves  meet 
them  as  they  sorrowfully  conveyed  their  charge  to  the  same 
tembc  in  which  the  "weary  waiting"  was  endured  before,  and 
then  they  submitted  to  the  systematic  questioning  which  the 
native  traveller  is  so  well  able  to  sustain. 

Mirarabo's  war  dragged  on  its  length,  and  matters  had 
clianged  very  little  since  they  were  there  before,  either  for  better 
or  for  worse.  They  found  the  English  officers  extremely  short 
of  goods;  but  Lieutenant  Cameron,  no  doubt  with  the  object  of 
his  expedition  full  in  view,  very  properly  felt  it  a  first  duty  to 
relieve  the  wants  of  the  party  that  had  performed  this  herculean 
feat  of  bringing  the  body  of  the  traveller  he  had  been  sent  to 
relieve,  together  with  every  article  belonging  to  him  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  as  far  as  this  main  road  to  the  coast. 

Serious  doubts  were  entertained  by  Lieutenant  Cameron 
whether  the  risk  of  taking  the  body  of  Dr.  Livingstone  through 
the  Ugogo  country  ought  to  be  run.  It  very  naturally  occurred 
to  him  that  Dr.  Livingstone  might  have  felt  a  wish  during  life 
to  be  buried  in  the  same  land  in  which  the  remains  of  his  wife 
lay,  for  it  will  be  remembered  that  the  grave  of  Mrs.  Living- 
stone is  at  Shupanga,  on  the  Zambesi.  All  this  was  put  before 
the  men,  but  they  steadily  adhered  to  their  first  conviction — 
that  it  was  right  at  all  risks  to  attempt  to  bear  their  master 
home,  and  they  were  no  longer  urged  to  bury  him  at  Kwihara. 

By  making  a  ten  days'  detour  at  "  Jua  Siiiga,"  and  travelling 
by  a  path  well  known  to  one  of  their  party  through  the  jungle 
of  Poli  ya  vengi,  they  hoped  to  avoid  the  Wagogo  and  keep 
out  of  harm's  way,  and  to  be  able  to  make  the  cloth  hold  out 
with  which  they  were  supplied. 

Making  an  early  start,  the  body  was  carried  to  Kasekera  by 
Susi's  party,  where,  from  an  evident  disinclination  to  receive  it 
into  the  village,  an  encampment  was  made  outside.  A  consul- 
tation now  became  necessary.  There  was  no  disguising  the  fact 
that  if  they  kept  along  the  main  road  intelligence  would  pre- 
cede them  concerning  that  in  which  they  were  engaged,  stirring 
up  certain  hostility  and  jeopardizing  the  most  precious  charge 
they   had.     A   plan   was  quickly  hit  upon.     Unobserved,  the 


776  JUSTIFIABLE    DECEPTION. 

men  removeJ  the  corpse  of  the  deceased  explorer  from  tlie 
])ackage  in  which  it  had  hitherto  been  conveyed,  and  buried  the 
bark  case  in  the  hut  in  tlie  thicket  around  the  village  in  which 
they  had  placed  it.  The  object  now  was  to  throw  the  villagers 
off  their  guard,  by  making  believe  that  they  had  relinquished 
the  attempt  to  carry  the  body  to  Zanzibar.  They  feigned  that 
they  had  abandoi>ed  their  task,  having  changed  their  minds, 
and  that  it  must  be  sent  back  to  Uuyauyembe  to  be  buried 
there.  In  the  mean  time  the  corpse  of  necessity  had  to  be  con- 
cealed in  the  smallest  space  possible,  if  they  were  actually  to 
convey  it  secretly  for  the  future ;  this  was  quickly  managed. 

Susi  and  Churaa  went  into  the  wood  and  stripped  off  a  fresh 
length  of  bark  from  an  N'gombe  tree;  in  this  the  remains, 
conveniently  prepared  as  to  length,  were  placed,  the  whole  being 
surrounded  with  calico  in  such  a  manner  as  to  appear  like  an 
ordinary  travelling  bale,  which  was  then  deposited  with  the  rest 
of  the  goods.  They  next  proceeded  to  gather  a  fagot  of 
mapira-stalks,  cutting  them  in  lengths  of  six  feet  or  so,  and 
swathing  thera  round  with  cloth  to  imitate  a  dead  body  about 
to  be  buried.  Tiiis  done,  a  paper,  folded  so  as  to  represent  a 
letter,  was  duly  placed  in  a  clefl  stick,  according  to  the  native 
letter-carrier's  custom,  and  six  trustworthy  men  were  told  off 
ostensibly  to  go  with  the  corpse  to  Unyanyembe.  With  due 
solemnity  the  men  set  out ;  the  villagers  were  only  too  thankful 
to  see  it,  and  no  one  suspected  the  ruse.  It  was  near  sundown. 
The  bearers  of  the  package  held  on  their  way,  till  fairly  beyond 
all  chance  of  detection,  and  then  began  to  disfwse  of  their  load. 
Tlie  mapira-sticks  were  thrown  one  by  one  fur  away  into  the 
jun;r|e,  and  when  all  were  disposed  of,  the  wrappings  were 
cunningly  got  rid  of  in  the  same  way.  Going  farther  on,  first 
one  nran,  and  then  another,  sprung  clear  from  the  path  into  the 
long  grass,  to  leave  no  trace  of  footsteps,  and  the  whole  party 
returned  by  different  ways  to  their  companions,  who  had  been 
anxiously  awaiting  them  during  the  night.  No  one  could  de- 
tect the  real  nature  of  the  ordinary-looking  bale  which,  hence- 
fartli,  was  guarded  with  no  relaxed  vigilance,  and  eventually 
disclosed  the  bark  coffin  and  wrappings,  containing  Dr.  Living- 
stone's body,  on  the  arrival  at  Bagatnoio.  And  now,  devoid  of 
fear,  the  people  of  Kasekera  asked  them  all  to  come  and  take 


A    DREADFUL    SNAKE.  777 

up  their  quarters  in  the  town;  a  privilege  which  was  denied 
them  so  long  as  it  was  known  that  they  had  the  remains  of  the 
dead  with  them. 

From  Kasekera  we  must  follow  Susi's  troop  through  a  not 
altogether  eventless  journey  to  the  sea.  Some  days  after  leav- 
ing Kasekera,  as  they  wended  their  way  through  a  rocky  place, 
a  little  girl  in  their  train,  named  Losi,  met  her  death  in  a 
shocking  way.  It  appears  that  the  poor  child  was  carrying  a 
water-jar  on  her  head  in  the  file  of  people,  when  an  enormous 
snake  dashed  across  the  path,  deliberately  struck  her  in  the 
thigh,  and  made  for  a  hole  in  the  jungle  close  at  hand.  This 
work  of  a  moment  was  sufficient,  for  the  poor  girl  fell  mortally 
wounded.  She  was  carried  forward,  and  all  means  at  hand 
were  applied,  but  in  less  than  ten  minutes  the  last  symptom 
(foaming  at  the  mouth)  set  in,  and  she  ceased  to  breathe. 

Here  is  a  well-authenticated  instance  which  goes  far  to  prove 
the  truth  of  an  assertion  made  to  travellers  in  many  parts  of 
Africa.  The  natives  protest  that  one  species  of  snake  will  de- 
liberately chase  and  overtake  his  victim  with  lightning  speed, 
and  so  dreadfully  dangerous  is  it,  both  from  the  activity  of  its 
poison  and  its  vicious  propensities,  that  it  is  perilous  to  approach 
its  quarters.  Most  singular  to  relate,  an  Arab  came  to  some  of 
the  men  after  their  arrival  at  Zanzibar  and  told  them  that  he 
liad  just  come  by  the  Unyanyembe  road,  and  that,  whilst  pass- 
ing the  identical  spot  where  this  disaster  occurred,  one  of  the 
men  was  attacked  by  the  same  snake,  with  precisely  the  same 
results ;  in  fact,  when  looking  for  a  place  in  which  to  bury  him 
they  saw  the  grave  of  Losi,  and  the  two  lie  side  by  side. 

Natal  colonists  will  probably  recognize  the  Mamba  in  this 
snake;  it  is  much  to  be  desired  that  specimens  should  be  pro- 
cured for  purposes  of  comparison.  In  southern  Africa  so  greiit 
is  the  dread  it  inspires  that  the  Caffres  will  break  up  a  kraal 
and  forsake  the  place  if  a  Mamba  takes  up  his  quarters  in  the 
vicinity,  and,  from  what  we  have  seen  above,  with  no  undue 
caution. 

Susi,  to  whom  this  snake  was  known  in  the  Shupanga  tongue 
as  "  Bnbu,"  describes  it  as  about  twelve  feet  long,  dark  in  color, 
of  a  dirty  blue  under  the  belly,  with  red  markings,  like  the 
wattles  of  a  cock,  on  the  head.     The  Arabs  go  so  far  as  to  say 


778  DELIVERING   THEIR   CHARGE. 

that  it  is  known  to  oppose  the  passage  of  a  caravan  at  times. 
Twisting  its  tail  round  a  branch,  it  will  strike  one  man  after 
another  in  the  head  with  fatal  certainty.  Their  remedy  is  to 
fill  a  pot  with  boiling  water,  which  is  put  on  the  head  and 
carried  under  the  tree !  The  snake  dashes  his  head  into  this 
and  is  killed — the  story  is  given  for  what  it  is  worth. 

At  last  the  coast  town  of  Bagamoio  came  in  sight,  and  before 
many  hours  were  over  one  of  Her  Majesty's  cruisers  conveyed 
the  acting  consul,  Captain  Prideaux,  from  Zanzibar  to  the  spot 
which  the  cortege  had  reached.  Arrangements  were  quickly 
made  for  transporting  the  remains  of  Dr.  Livingstone  to  the 
island,  some  thirty  miles  distant,  and  then  it  became  jx^rhaps 
rather  too  painfully  plain  to  the  men  that  their  task  was 
finished. 

One  word  on  a  subject  which  will  commend  itself  to  most 
l)efore  we  close  this  long  eventful  history. 

We  saw  what  a  train  of  Indian  Sepoys,  Johanna  men,  Nas- 
sick  boys,  and  Shupanga  canoe-men,  accompanied  Dr.  Living- 
stone when  he  started  from  Zanzibar  in  1866  to  enter  upon  his 
last  discoveries :  of  all  these,  five  only  could  answer  to  the  roll- 
call  as  they  handed  over  the  dead  body  of  their  leader  to  his 
countrymen  on  the  shores  whither  they  had  returned,  and  this 
after  eight  years'  desperate  service. 

Once  more  we  repeat  the  names  o.  these  men.  Susi  and 
James  Chuma  have  been  sufficiently  prominent  througliout — 
liardly  so  perhaps  has  Amoda,  their  comrade  ever  since  the 
Zambesi  days  of  18G4:  then  we  have  Abram  and  Mabruki, 
each  with  service  to  show  from  the  time  he  left  the  Nassick 
College  with  the  doctor  in  1865.  Nor  must  we  forget  Ntoaeka 
and  Ilalima,  the  two  native  girls  of  whom  we  have  heard  such 
a  good  character :  they  cast  in  their  lot  with  the  wanderers  in 
Manyuema.  It  docs  seem  strange  to  hear  the  men  say  that  no 
sooner  did  they  arrive  at  their  journey's  end  than  they  were  so 
far  frowne<l  out  of  notice,  that  not  so  much  as  a  passage  to  the 
island  was  olfered  them  when  their  burden  was  borne  away. 
We  must  hope  that  it  is  not  too  late — even  for  the  sake  of  con- 
sistency— to  put  it  on  record  that  whoever  assisted  Livingstone, 
whether  white  or  black,  has  not  been  overlooked  in  England. 
Stirely  those  with  whom  he  spent  his  last  years  must  not  pass 
away  into  Africa  again  unrewarded,  and  lost  to  sight. 


VALUABLE  SERVICES   OF   SUSI    AND   CIIUMA.  781 

A  very  great  deal  is  owing  to  tliese  five  men,  and  we  say  it 
emphatically.  If  the  world  has  gratified  a  reasonable  wish  in 
learning  all  that  concerns  the  last  days  on  earth  of  a  truly  noble 
conntryman  and  his  wonderful  enterprise,  the  means  of  doing 
fio  could  never  have  been  placed  at  our  disposal  but  for  the 
ready  willingness  which  made  Susi  and  Chuma  determine,  if 
possil)le,  to  render  an  account  to  some  of  those  whom  they  had 
known  as  their  master's  old  companions.  If  the  geographer 
finds  before  him  new  facts,  new  discoveries,  new  theories,  as 
I-iivingstone  alone  could  record  them,  it  is  right  and  proper  that 
he  should  feel  the  part  these  men  have  played  in  furnishing 
him  with  such  valuable  matter.  Nothing  but  such  leadership 
and  staunchness  as  that  which  organized  the  march  home  from 
IllaJa,  and  distinguished  it  throughout,  could  have  brought 
Livingstone's  bones  to  England,  or  his  last  notes  and  maps  to 
the  outer  world.     They  performed  their  service  nobly. 

The  mournful  tidings  was  quickly  conveyed  to  London,  and 
it  thrilled  the  world  with  sorrow.  A  few  days  only  the  un- 
willing hearts  of  friends  entertained  trembling  hope  that  there 
might  be  a  mistake:  the  confirmation  was  inevitable;  the  pain- 
ful anxiety  was  relieved  by  the  more  painful  certainty.  Those 
who  had  watched  with  deepest  interest  the  life  of  the  great  man 
could  only  wait  with  deepest  sadness  to  welcome  his  lifeless 
body  back  to  burial ;  the  world  could  only  wait  for  the  final 
story,  that  it  might  embalm  the  complete  life  in  its  reverence 
and  memory. 

The  precious  freight  was  shipped  from  Zanzibar  in  February, 
in  care  of  Mr.  Arthur  Young.  There  was  the  body,  and  with 
it  all  the  books,  papers,  and  personal  effects  of  Dr.  Livingstone. 
At  Aden  Mr.  Young  was  joined  by  Mr.  Thomas  Livingstone, 
the  oldest  son  of  the  missionary,  a  mercantile  agent  in  Egypt, 
and  all  was  reshipped  in  the  "  Mai wa"  for  England.  When 
the  ship  arrived  at  Southampton  a  deputation  of  the  Roval 
Geographical  Society,  with  a  few  of  the  personal  friends  of  Dr. 
Ivivlngstone,  were  awaiting  it,  and  were  conducted  to  the  mail 
room,  where  the  coffin  lay  in  lonely  state,  wrapped  with  the 
flags  of  the  Peninsular  and  Oriental  Company,  guarded  by 
Jacob  Wainwright,  a  faithful  sentinel,  who  had  been  aHowed  to 
represent  the  noble  men  who  had  so  bravely  brought  the  bur- 


782  IDENTIFICATION   OF   THE   BODY. 

den  out  of  the  wilderness.  The  coffin  was  next  transferred  to 
the  deck  of  the  "Queen,"  in  the  presence  of  a  solemn  and 
respectful  company,  standing  with  uncovered  heads;  while  a 
lady  came  forward  and  placed  on  the  lid  a  beautiful  wreath  of 
flowers.  From  the  Royal  Wharf  at  Southampton  the  loving 
friends  attended  their  charge  to  I^ondon,  where  it  was  received 
with  sad  reverence  and  placed  in  state  in  the  hall  of  the  Geo- 
graphical Society.  The  identification  of  the  body  was  unques- 
tionable. Wg  remember  the  mark  which  God  had  caused  to  be 
placed  on  the  man  so  many  years  before  in  South  Africa,  before 
he  sent  him  forth  on  his  toilsome  and  perilous  mission ;  by  that 
one  mark,  more  than  all  else,  absolute  certainty  could  be  had. 
It  was  important  that  there  should  be  no  doubt  in  the  matter, 
and  a  formal  examination  of  the  body  was  ordered.  This 
examination  was  conducted  by  Sir  William  Fergusson  and  the 
friends  of  Livingstone ;  and  we  are  allowed  to  introduce  the 
letter  in  which  Sir  William  gives  his  account  of  it.     He  says : 

"Within  the  last  few  months  many  have  hesitated  to  believe 
that  Livingstone  was  dead.  Above  all  it  seemed  beyond  ordinary 
probability  that  his  remains  would  have  been  brought  from  cen- 
tral Africa  to  the  heart  of  London.  That  a  body  was  on  its 
way  from  this  all  but  mythical  region  could  hardly  be  doubted 
after  the  examination  at  Zanzibar  of  the  remains,  but  mauv 
were  sceptic^il  as  to  this  dead  frame  being  that  of  Livingstone. 
Happily  it  was  borne  in  mind  by  many  old  friends  that  he  had 
one  condition  of  body  which  would  mark  the  identification  of 
his  remains  even  if  years  and  years  had  elapsed.  If  it  should 
be  proved  on  anatomical  examination  the  remains  of  an  old  un- 
united fracture  in  his  left  humerus  (arm  bone)  could  be  recog- 
nized, all  doubt  on  the  subject  would  be  settled  at  once  and  for- 
ever. It  has  fallen  to  my  lot  to  have  the  honor  of  being 
selected  to  make  the  crucial  examination  to  this  end,  and  I  have 
accordingly  performed  that  duty.  From  what  I  have  seen  I 
am  much  impressed  with  the  ingenious  manner  in  which  those 
who  have  contrived  to  secure  that  the  body  should  be  carried 
through  the  long  distance  from  where  Livingstone  died  until  it 
could  reach  a  place  where  transit  was  comparatively  easy  accom- 
plished their  task.  The  lower  limbs  were  so  severed  from  the 
trunk  that  the  length  of  the  bulk  of  package  was  reduced  to  a 


THE   GENEKAL    CONDITION.  783 

little  over  four  feet.  The  soft  tissues  seern  to  have  been  removed 
to  a  great  extent  from  the  bones,  and  these  latter  were  so  dis- 
posed tliat  by  doubling  and  otherwise  the  shortening  was  aecom- 
plished.  The  abdominal  viscera  were  absent,  and  so  were  those 
of  the  chest,  including,  of  course,  heart  and  lungs.  There  had 
been  made  a  large  opening  in  front  of  the  abdomen,  and  through 
that  the  native  operators  had  ingeniously  contrived  to  remove 
the  contents  of  the  chest  as  well  as  of  the  abdomen.  The  skin 
over  chest,  sternum,  and  ribs  had  been  untouched.  Before  these 
points  were  clearly  ascertained  some  coarse  tapes  had  to  be 
loosened,  which  set  free  some  rough  linen  material — a  striped 
colored  bit  of  cotton  cloth,  such  as  might  have  been  an  attractive 
material  for  the  natives  among  whom  Livingstone  travelled — a 
coarse  cotton  shirt,  which  doubtless  belonged  to  the  traveller's 
scanty  wardrobe,  and  in  particular  a  large  portion  of  the  bark 
of  a  tree,  which  had  formed  the  principal  part  of  the  package — 
the  case  tliereof  no  doubt.  The  skin  of  the  trunk,  from  the 
pelvis  to  the  crown  of  the  head,  had  been  untouched.  Every- 
where was  that  shrivelling  which  might  have  been  ex]>ected 
after  salting,  baking  in  the  sun,  and  eleven  months  of  time. 
The  features  of  the  face  could  not  be  recognized.  The  hair  on 
the  scalp  was  plentiful,  and  much  longer  than  he  wore  it  when 
last  in  England.  A  mustache  could  not  be  recognized,  but 
whiskers  were  in  abundance.  The  forehead  was  in  shape  such 
as  we  are  familiar  with  from  memory,  and  from  the  pictures  and 
busts  now  extant.  The  circumference  of  the  cranium,  from  the 
occiput  to  the  brow,  was  23|  inches,  which  was  recognized 
by  some  present  to  be  in  accordance  with  such  measurements 
when  alive.  In  particular  the  arms  attracted  attention.  They 
lay  as  if  placed  in  ordinary  fashion,  each  down  by  the  side. 
The  skin  and  tissues  under  were  on  each  side  shrunk  almost 
to  skeleton  bulk,  and  at  a  glance  to  practised  eyes — there  were 
five,  I  may  say  six,  professional  men  present — the  state  of  the 
left  arm  was  such  as  to  convince  every  one  present  who  had 
examined  it  during  life  that  the  limb  was  Livingstone's. 
Exactly  in  the  i-egion  of  the  attachment  of  the  deltoid  to  the 
humerus  there  were  the  indications  of  an  oblique  fracture.  On 
moving  the  arm  there  were  the  indications  of  the  ununited  frac- 
ture.    A  closer  investigation  and  dissection  displayed  the  false 


784  THE   UNMISTAKABLE   MARK. 

joint  -which  had  long  ago  been  so  well  recognized  by  those  who 
had  examined  the  arm  in  former  days.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Moffat,  and 
in  particular  Dr.  Kirk,  late  of  Zanzibar,  and  Dr.  Loudon,  of 
Hamilton,  in  Scotland,  at  once  recognized  the  condition.  Hav- 
ing myself  been  consulted  regarding  the  state  of  the  limb  when 
Livingstone  was  last  in  London,  I  was  convinced  that  the 
remains  of  the  great  traveller  lay  before  us.  Thousands  of 
heads  with  a  like  large  circumfci'cnce  might  have  been  under 
similar  scrutiny;  the  skeletons  of  hundreds  of  thousands  might 
have  l>Gen  so;  the  humerus  in  each  might  have  been  perfect; 
if  one  or  both  had  been  broken  during  life  it  would  have  united 
again  in  such  a  manner  that  a  tyro  could  easily  have  detected 
the  peculiarity.  The  condition  of  ununited  fracture  in  this 
locality  is  exceedingly  rare.  I  say  this  from  my  personal  pro- 
fessional experience,  and  that  such  a  specimen  should  have 
turned  up  in  London  from  the  centre  of  Africa,  excepting  in  the 
body  of  Dr.  Livingstone,  where  it  was  known  by  competent 
authorities  to  have  existed,  is  beyond  human  credibility.  It 
must  not  be  supposed  by  those  who  are  not  professionally 
acquainted  with  this  kind  of  lesion — which  often  causes  so  much 
interest  to  the  practical  surgeon — that  a  fracture  and  new  joint 
of  the  kind  now  referred  to  could  have  been  of  recent  date  or 
made  for  a  purpose.  There  were  in  reality  all  the  indications 
which  the  experienced  pathologist  recognizes  as  infallible,  such 
as  the  attenuated  condition  of  the  two  great  fragments  (common 
luider  such  circumstances),  and  the  semblance  of  a  new  joint, 
but  actually  there  was  a  small  fragment  detached  from  the  others 
which  bore  out  Livingstone's  own  view  that  the  bones  had  been 
•crushed  into  splinters.'  Having  had  ample  opportunity  of 
examining  the  arm  during  life,  and  conversing  with  Living- 
stone on  the  subject,  and  being  one  of  those  who  entertained 
hopes  that  the  last  reports  of  Livingstone's  death  might,  like 
others,  prove  false,  I  approached  the  examination  with  an 
anxious  feeling  regarding  this  great  and  most  peculiar  crucial 
test.  The  first  glance  at  the  left  arm  set  my  mind  at  rest,  and 
that,  with  the  further  examination,  made  me  as  positive  as  to 
the  identity  of  these  remains  as  that  there  has  been  among  us 
in  modern  times  one  of  the  greatest  men  of  the  human  race — 
David  Livingstone." 


THE   LAST   RESTING-PLACE.  785 

After  the  identification  the  remains  were  placed  in  a  simple 
casket.  A  last  resting-place  had  been  assigned  it  in  Westminster 
Abbey.  On  Satnrday,  April  18,  1874,  it  was  borne  thither 
amid  such  testimonies  of  profound  respect  as  did  honor  to  the 
metro[)olis.  The  name  and  achievements  of  Livingstone  were 
a  talisman  which  gathered  within  the  walls  of  that  venerable 
abbey  a  throng  of  mourners  as  unique  and  diverse  as  were  ever 
assembled  by  an  open  grave.  There  were  distinguished  states- 
men, and  explorers,  and  missionaries,  and  hunters.  And  ming- 
ling with  them  the  honored  clergymen  and  laymen  who  had  co- 
operated with  him  in  establishing  the  Zanzibar  Mission.  Men 
of  all  callings  and  creeds,  sorrowfully  glad  to  testify  their  rev- 
erence for  the  philanthropist,  the  patriot  and  Christian.  Nearest 
the  coffin,  as  it  was  carried  up  the  splendid  aisle,  were  the  chil- 
dren, Thomas  S.,  Agnes,  William  Oswell,  and  Anna  JMary 
Livingstone.  One,  bearing  a  familiar  name,  Robert,  whose 
childish  sweetness  so  won  the  heart  of  Sebituane,  had  fallen 
years  before,  under  the  assumed  name  of  Rupert,  on  our  own 
soil,  and  rested  in  an  unknown  soldier's  grave.  Next  to  the 
children  were  two  sorrowing  sisters  of  the  explorer,  and  the 
wife  of  Mr.  Charles  Livingstone,  and  with  them  there  was  the 
white-bearded  patriarch,  Robert  INIoffat,  who  had  given  him  his 
daughter  Mary  in  marriage  at  distant  Kuruman.  Behind  these 
came  the  Duke  of  Sutherland,  the  Lord  Advocate  of  Scotland, 
Lords  Shaftesbury  and  Houghton,  Sir  Bartle  Frere,  Dr.  Lion 
Playfair,  Sir  H.  Rawlinson,  Lord  Lawrence,  Sir  F.  Buxton, 
the  Honorable  Arthur  Kinnaird,  and  a  long  procession  com- 
posed of  the  Geographical  savants  of  Great  Britain.  The  soft, 
grand,  solemn  strains  of  funeral  song  filled  the  place.  The 
burial  service  was  read  by  Dean  Stanley,  assisted  by  Canons 
Conway  and  Leighton.  A  wreath  of  flowers,  with  a  card  on 
which  was  written,  "A  tribute  of  respect  and  admiration  from 
Queen  Victoria,"  was  placed  on  the  casket,  just  over  the  simple 
inscription  : 

David  Livingstone, 

Born  at  Blantyre,  Lanarkshire,  ScoTLANr^ 

March  19,  1S13. 

Died  at  Illala,  Central  Africa, 

May  1,  1873. 


786 


UNCOVETED   HONOR. 


And  the  body  of  the  man  who  had  bequeathed  the  world  the 
legacy  of  an  entire  life  consecrated  to  Christ  in  the  midst  of 
sufferings  and  sacrifices  inexpressible  was  left  in  that  vast 
mausoleum  of  England's  most  honored  servants. 

David  Livingstone  was  buried.  Probably  he  would  have 
preferred  an  unmarked  grave  in  Central  Africa.  His  had  been 
a  loftier  ambition  than  the  distinguished  general's,  who  plunged 
into  the  battle  of  the  Nile,  exclaiming,  "A  peerage,  or  West- 
minster Abbey  ! "  Love  prevailed  in  the  counsels  of  his  heart, 
and  shone  in  all  his  life.  He  sought  the  Kingdom  of  God ; 
like  his  Master,  he  lived  for  others,  and  died.  Men  honored  him 
in  his  death.  It  is  well :  but  better,  if  they  allow  the  impress 
of  his  greatness  and  goodness  on  their  souls,  and  are  incited  by 
his  example  to  nobler  lives. 


APPENDIX 


Discouragements — Recent  Successes  of  Explorers — Revival  of  Interest — Com- 
mercial Importance — Familiar  Trees  of  North  and  West  Africa — Tropical 
Africa — General  Appearance — South  African  Forests — Lumber  Exports — 
Excellence  of  Soil — Cotton,  Coffee,  etc. — Mineral  Resources — Gold  Mines — 
Copper  Mines— Diamond  Fields — The  Ivory  Trade — Commerce  of  West  Coast 
— The  Slave-Trade — Baker's  Work— Slave-Traders  Classified — Slaves  Classi- 
fied— Sources  of  the  Trade  Classified — Total  Annual  Traffic  in  Slaves — Theories 
for  Suppression — The  Tendency  of  Events — Not  an  Abstract  Question — Slavery 
has  had  its  Mission — The  Nations  Against  It — Providence  in  the  Revolution 
— The  Nile — Baker — Spcke — Livingstone— Missions — The  Former  Successes 
— General  Influence — The  Prospect. 

Costly  indeed  have  been  the  sacrifices  made  for  the  redemp- 
tion of  Africa.  Providence  has  seemed  to  patronize  barbarism 
in  a  perpetual  and  fatal  monopoly  of  the  continent.  The  land 
has  been  thought  of  as  a  prison.  Insalubrious  airs  infest  the 
coasts  and  cataracts,  obstruct  the  rivers — the  malaria  lias  been  a 
wall,  the  rivers  have  been  barred  gates.  The  obstinate  gloom 
has  been  called  a  curse,  which  human  benevolence  could  not 
presume  to  change.  The  baffled  ages  have  been  perplexed. 
The  task  has  seemed  hopeless,  discouragements  have  fostered 
doubts,  destiny  has  seemed  to  deny  the  obligations  of  civiliza- 
tion, Christianity  has  parleyed  with  expediency,  science  has 
counted  the  costs.  Over  and  over  again  the  wearied  energies 
of  the  world  have  relaxed,  and  the  work  of  redeeming  Africa 
has  seemed  about  to  be  abandoned  ;  over  and  over  again  the 
land  which  gave  a  birthplace  to  the  Star  of  Empire,  and  a 
nursery  to  Israel,  has  seemed  about  to  be  recognized  as  the 
predestined  dominion  of  absolute  ignorance  and  sin.  But  it 
was  impossible  :  light  had  received  its  commission,  the  world 
had  been  given  to  Christ.  Africa  could  not  be  forgotten. 
Science  could  not  abandon  a  continent,  Christianity  could  not 
abandon   one  hundred  million  souls.      Again  and   again  the 

787 


788  NEW    LIFE   IMPARTED. 

baffled  nations  renewed  their  efforts.  Footholds  were  gaincxi 
here  and  there.  But  tlie  little  settlements  were  like  candles 
■which  men  sometimes,  standing  in  their  doors,  hold  against  the 
night.  The  rays  did  not  reach  far,  they  could  not  affect  Africa 
materially  or  answer  the  questions  that  were  asked  about  it. 
The  hearts  of  men  needed  encouragement.  The  recent  suc- 
cesses of  explorers  have  been  hailed  with  as  much  joy  as  won- 
der. A  new  life  has  been  imparted  to  commercial,  scientific, 
philanthropic  and  Christian  enterprises ;  the  representatives 
of  these  various  interests  have  been  grand,  if  involuntary  allies, 
marshalled  by  a  superior  providence  in  the  work  accomplished, 
and  the  future  assigns  them  each  a  task  which  promises  rich 
rewards.  Livingstone  from  the  south  and  east,  Baker  and 
Schweinfurth  from  the  north,  and  Du  Chaillu  from  the  west, 
have  at  last  succeeded  in  letting  the  light  in  upon  the  heart  of 
the  continent;  and  revelations  have  been  made  which  intensify 
popular  interest  in  all  that  pertains  to  it. 

It  is  difficult  to  determine  the  commercial  importance  of 
countries  so  thoroughly  undeveloped  and  occupied  by  people  in 
the  rudest  barbarism.  The  utilization  of  the  latent  forces  of 
the  continent  must  inevitably  be  the  work  of  generations,  and 
it  must  be  attended  with  greater  difficulty,  because  its  climate, 
its  inhabitants,  and  its  history  are  alike  repulsive  to  those  races 
which  seem  to  have  been  commissioned  especially  as  leaders  in 
all  the  industries  and  arts  of  civilization.  But  the  world  can- 
not afford  to  throw  away  millions  of  square  miles  of  fertile  soil 
and  vast  stores  of  mineral  wealth.  The  interests  of  men  will 
patronize  Africa,  its  own  treasures  will  prevent  its  neglect. 
The  difficulty  of  access  to  the  interior  will  greatly  retard  the 
measures  for  improvement,  but  the  importance  of  the  inland 
country  may  soon  be  felt  to  justify  such  expenditures  as  may 
remove  these  difficulties,  and  bring  all  parts  of  the  continent 
within  easy  access  from  the  sea. 

The  time  was  when  the  work  for  Africa  seemed  a  strictly 
benevolent  one;  but  the  time  has  come  when  even  the  most 
powerful  nations  recognize  its  importance.  As  the  mind  wan- 
ders over  this  vast  continent,  which  comes  out  gradually  before 
it  in  tracing  the  steps  of  explorers,  the  old  impressions  about 
hopeless  desolation  vanish.     The   scorching    sands  of  Sahara 


WOODLAND   FEATURES.  789 

are  thought  of  only  as  a  neighboring  sea,  begemmed  with  beau- 
tiful islands,  while  all  about,  the  various  developments  of  troj)ieal 
life  are  spread  out  in  splendid  contrast.  The  M'onderful  pasture- 
lands  and  vast  forests,  where  enormous  trees  are  so  thiekly 
planted  and  wound  and  interlaced  by  the  huge  creepers  that  not 
a  ray  of  sunlight  can  ever  penetrate  them — the  mountain 
ranges  which  traverse  the  scene,  here  and  there  rearing  their 
perpetual  snow-crown  defiantly,  right  in  the  eye  of  the  sun,  as  he 
rides  the  very  ridge  of  his  supremacy — a  wonderful  river  sys- 
tem and  beautiful  lakes — may  not,  indeed,  promise  a  home  which 
should  tempt  Europeans  or  Americans  away  from  their  own 
lands;  but  they  cannot  fail  to  impress  the  observer  with  the 
magnitude  of  those  latent  forces  with  which  Africa  stands  ready 
to  contribute  toward  the  accomplishment  of  human  destiny. 

The  woodland  features  of  Africa  ai'e  greatly  diversified,  and 
in  the  sections  traversed  by  Dr.  Schweinfurth,  and  all  along  the 
table-lands  of  the  west,  many  striking  analogies  have  been 
remarked  between  the  numerous  trees  of  Africa  and  those  which 
adorn  the  hills  and  valleys  of  more  familiar  lands.  "  Some  of 
the  trees  at  first  sight  have  a  considerable  likeness  to  the  common 
oak.  Amongst  these  may  be  named  the  Terminalia  and  the 
butter  tree.  The  fruit  of  the  latter  consists  of  a  globular  oily 
kernel,  which  looks  something  like  a  horse-chestnut,  is  as  large 
as  a  good-sized  apricot,  and  is  enveloped  in  a  green  rind.  From 
the  kernels  of  this  widely  known  tree  an  oil  is  expressed,  which, 
under  the  name  of  *  butter  of  Gallam,'  is  a  recognized  article 
of  commerce  in  Gambia." 

Far-spread  Jis  are  the  trees  which  resemble  the  oak,  those 
which  resemble  the  horse-chestnut  are  quite  as  common.  The 
plane  tree  may  be  also  said  to  be  represented  equally  with 
respect  to  its  bark,  its  foliage,  and  the  pattern  of  its  leaves,  by 
the  StercuUa  tomentosa,  which  has  established  itself  jiretty 
generally  throughout  tropical  Africa.  In  the  place  of  willows 
Africa  offers  the  Anaphrcnium ;  and  over  and  over  again  the 
traveller  may  fancy  that  he  sees  the  graceful  locust  tree.  The 
Parkia  is  another  of  those  imposing  trees  which  are  met  with  ; 
the  leaves  of  this  are  not  unlike  the  Poincillade  or  Flaraboyer ; 
its  flowers  are  a  fiery  red  and  hang  in  a  tuft,  and  when  they  die 
off  leave  a  bundle  of  pods  a  foot  in  length,  in  which  seeds  are 
40 


790  TYPES  OF  yp:getation. 

found,  covered  with  a  yellow  dust  which  the  natives  mix  Avlth 
tiieir  flour. 

Many  types  of  vegetation,  however,  abound,  to  which  Euro- 
pean and  American  travellers  are  altogether  unaccustomed. 
And  it  is  not  only  by  the  exuberance  and  dignity  of  their  forms 
that  these  are  marked,  but  still  more  by  the  novelty  and  grace 
-with  which  nature  seems  to  have  invested  them.  No  European 
production  in  any  way  represents  the  Anonia  Senegalensis,  with 
its  large  blue-green  leaf,  and  its  small  fruit,  with  an  aromatic 
dark-red  J^ulp;  a  fruit  which  in  a  modest  degree  displays  some- 
thing of  that  captivating  quality  Avhich  has  exalted  its  kindred 
plant,  the  Cherimoyer  of  Peru,  to  its  high  repute  as  the  queen 
of  fruits. 

Much  more  singular  is  the  magnificent  candelabra-euphorbia, 
"which  fo.'lows  the  pattern  of  its  prototype,  the  cactus  of  our  own 
country.  Next  must  be  mentioned  the  varieties  of  fig-trccs 
with  their  leathery  leaves,  and,  associated  with  them,  those  chief 
characteristics  of  African  vegetation,  the  combreta  and  the  rubi- 
acese ;  tamarinds,  with  their-  thick  tubular  corollas,  and  shrubby 
gardeniae,  dwarf  and  contorted. 

In  general  character  the  flora  of  these  northern  and  western 
districts  are  alike,  and  they  boast  primeval  forests  which  rival 
the  splendor  of  Brazilian  nature.  In  contrast  with  this,  tlie 
bush  forests  in  the  higher  parts  of  tropical  Africa,  broken  by 
the  steppes,  present  in  uniformity,  perhaps,  the  most  extensive 
district  that  could  be  pointed  out  in  the  whole  geography  of  vege- 
tation. Extending  as  it  docs  from  Senegal  to  the  Zambesi,  and 
from  Abyssinia  to  Benguela,  tropical  Alrica  may  be  asserted  to 
be  without  any  perceptible  alteration  in  character  but  that  which 
is  offered  by  the  double  aspect  of  steppe  and  bush  on  the  one 
hand,  and  primeval  forests,  in  the  American  sense,  on  the  other. 
On  the  west  and  east  this  is  illustrated  by  the  marked  difference 
between  the  table-lands  and  the  low  coast  terraces  ;  in  the  centre 
by  the  difference  between  the  woods  on  the  river  banks  and  the 
low  flats  lying  between  the  river  courses.  With  the  southern 
portion  we  hav^e  been  made  familiar  in  following  Dr.  I^iving- 
stone  through  his  journeys.  Africa  is  certainly  not  the  least 
below  the  most  abundant  districts  of  even  our  new  western 
world  in  producing  timber  tree*.     Trees  and  shrubs  constitute 


MINERAL   RESOUKCES.  791 

quite  one-fifth  of  its  entire  production,  and  from  this  vast  store- 
house there  has  been  for  many  years  but  little  contribution  made 
to  the  commerce  of  the  world. 

But  the  soil  which  produces  such  marvellous  forest  wealth  is 
also  remarkably  adapted  to  the  most  enlightened  forms  of 
agriculture.  The  cotton  planter  will  find  in  Africa,  in  various 
sections,  his  favorite  growing  wild,  and  exhibiting  a  luxuriance 
and  excellence  of  quality  which  will  rival  that  grown  in  any 
land.  Indian  corn  is  also  cultivated  with  remarkable  success ; 
also  rice,  manioc,  and  various  other  grains.  Gum,  beeswax, 
palm  oil.  India-rubber,  etc.,  swell  the  list,  while  tobacco,  coffee, 
indigo,  sugar-cane,  and  all  the  tropical  fruits  grow  luxuriantly. 

The  mineral  resources  are  also  worthy  of  special  attention. 
Gold  is  found  in  various  parts  of  the  continent;  the  most 
promising  of  wliich  fields  are  probably  those  near  the  junction 
of  the  Limpopo  and  Zambesi  rivers.  But  these,  as  are  all  the 
regions  where  the  world  at  various  times  has  located  the  long- 
sought  Ophir,  are  entirely  undeveloped,  and  there  is  certainly 
no  contradiction  yet  furnished  of  the  reported  wealth  of  Africa 
in  this  glittering  treasure.  Coal,  iron,  and  copper,  all  have 
their  place.  Iron  is  manufactured  quite  extensively  in  many 
districts,  and  we  have  seen  the  whole  lake  country  covered  with 
the  rude  forges  of  the  natives.  The  most  notorious  copper 
mines  arc  those  of  Hofrat-el-Nahaho,  which  are  said  to  be  situ- 
ated on  the  southern  frontier  of  Darfoor,  but  about  whose  exact 
location  there  is  some  dispute  among  the  doctors.  The  coi)per 
from  these  mines  is  brought  into  market,  either  in  the  shape  of 
clumsily  formed  rings,  full  of  angles,  varying  in  weight  from 
five  to  fifty  pounds,  or  in  long  oval  cakes  of  imperfect  casting. 
Dr.  Schweinfurth  obtained  a  specimen  of  this  copper,  which  he 
deposited  in  the  Mineralogical  Museum  at  Berlin.  This  speci- 
men consisted  of  "  copper-pyrite  and  quartz,  with  an  earthy 
touch  of  malachite,  commonly  called  green  carbonate  of  copper, 
but  containing  a  very  small  quantity  of  the  real  metal." 

No  systematic  mining  seems  to  be  carried  on  in  the  Hofrat-el- 
Nahaho,  and  the  man  from  whom  the  doctor  obtained  his  sam- 
ple said  that  the  ore  was  found  lying  like  loose  rubble  in  the 
dry  bed  of  a  kiior.  "  It  may  be  presumed  that  by  boring  gal- 
leries, or  even  by  hewing  out  quarries,  a  large  supply  of  metal 


792  DIAMOND    FIELDS. 

might  be  obtained  without  any  vast  expenditure  of  time  or 
money,  for  even  in  the  present  condition  of  things,  while  the 
solid  rock  still  remains  intact,  the  yield  of  copper  for  years  past 
has  been  very  considerable."  The  Foorian  copper  even  now 
takes  a  prominent  part  in  the  commerce  of  the  entire  Soudan  ; 
it  is  conveyal  across  Wadai  to  Kano  in  Haussa,  and,  according 
to  Barth,  it  holds  its  own  in  the  market,  even  against  that  im- 
ported from  Tripoli. 

But  during  the  last  few  years  more  tempting  treasures  than 
copper  or  gold  even  have  been  attracting  attention  to  Africa. 
The  diamond  fields  of  South  Africa  have  created  quite  a  sensa- 
tion. These  remarkable  fields  are  situated  between  the  26°  and 
30°  lat.  S.,  and  22°  and  28°  E.  long.,  on  both  sides  of  the  Vaal 
river.  All  the  information  which  has  yet  been  given  to  the 
world  respecting  these  fields  has  been  of  so  vague  a  nature,  and 
has  come  through  such  unreliable  channels,  that  thousands  Avho, 
if  they  had  known  the  real  truth  respecting  the  operations  there, 
oi"  could  have  felt  assured  of  the  reliable  nature  of  the  stories 
which  they  heard,  would  have  been  long  ago  located  and  at 
work  in  that  beautiful  and  pleiisant  region,  are  still  incredulous. 
Yet  the  work  goes  on  with  increasing  importance.  The  history 
of  Californian  and  Australian  mining  has  of  course  been  re- 
peated— a  few  have  become  rich,  while  many  have  been  griev- 
ously disappointed.  But-  really  "great  success  has  attended 
well-directed  efforts,  and  these  fields  may  yet  prove  themselves 
one  of  the  most  important  paymasters  appointed  by  God  in 
Africa  to  reward  the  nations  for  their  perseverance  in  their 
efforts  to  redeem  it  from  darkness." 

Whatever  the  future  may  reveal  concerning  the  extent  of  the 
mineral  resources  of  Africa  or  its  agricultural  importance,  in 
its  past  history,  if  we  except  slaves  only,  ivory  has  been  its 
chief  export.  Those  vast  forests  are  the  abode  of  immense 
herds  of  elephants,  whose  tusks  su|)ply  this  important  com- 
modity. This  trade  has,  however,  like  everything  else,  suffered 
greatly  by  that  in  slaves — everything,  indeed,  been  second  to 
the  slave-trade,  and  it  is  only  within  the  last  few  years  that 
any  portion  of  the  continent  has  been  allowed  to  demonstrate 
the  importance  of  its  legitimate  resources.  .  Within  those  few 
years  the  prosperity  on  the  western  coast  has  been  astonish- 


WORKINGS   OF   THE  SLAVE-TRADE.  793 

ing.  In  1871  the  commerce  of  the  British  possessions  on  that 
coast  amounted  to  £2,556,000,  and  may  at  the  present  time 
be  estimated  at  £3,250,000  sterling,  and  this  is  only  the  slight- 
est hint  of  the  possibilities  that  are  concealed  there. 

But  whatever  the  possibilities  may  be,  the  world  will  realize 
little  from  Africa  while  the  mumbling  sons  of  Mohammed  are 
allowed  to  desolate  the  fairest  districts  for  the  satisfaction  of 
their  unscrupulous  cupidity.  Those  who  have  read  the  fore- 
going pages  have  become  familiar  with  the  workings  of  the 
slave-trade  in  the  countries  traversed  by  Dr.  Livingstone. 
Above  the  equator,  in  the  Nile  regions,  it  is  no  better.  The 
efforts  of  Sir  Samuel  Baker,  in  his  recent  expedition,  did  some- 
thing toward  its  suppression.  But  his  efforts,  however  effectual, 
reached  only  a  limited  portion  of  the  evil. 

Satisfied  with  having,  to  the  eyes  of  the  world  at  large,  made 
a  clean  sweep  of  the  waters  of  the  Nile,  Sir  Samuel  and  his 
supporters  did  not  perceive,  or  could  not  remedy,  what  was 
going  on  on  either  side  of  the  great  river-highway.  To  any 
one  who  should  now  enter  the  country  under  the  impression 
that  the  slave-trade  on  the  Upper  Nile  was  forever  abolished, 
and  should  subsequently  learn,  by  contrast,  the  true  condition 
of  the  lands,  a  scene  would  be  presented  that  might  well  remind 
him  of  the  painted  villages  that  were  exhibited  to  Katheriue 
IL,  on  her  tour  through  Southern  Russia. 

The  Gellahbas  w^ho,  either  on  their  own  account  or  as  repre- 
sentatives of  others,  carry  on  the  slave-trade  in  this  district, 
may  be  divided  into  three  classes : 

1.  The  petty  dealers,  who,  with  only  a  single  ass  or  bullock 
come  in  January  and  return  in  March  or  April. 

2.  The  agents  or  partners  of  the  great  slave  merchants  in 
Darfoor  and  Kordofan,  who  have  settled  iu  the  Seribas,  nearly 
always  in  the  capacity  of  Fakes. 

3.  The  colonized  slave-dealers  who  live  on  their  own  prop- 
erty in  the  Dehms  of  the  west. 

The  last  of  these  form  the  only  class  who  ever  penetrate 
beyond  the  bounds  of  the  Seriba  district  into  the  negro  coun- 
tries. They  nearly  all  direct  their  course  from  the  Dehms  in 
Dar  Ferteet  to  the  territories  of  Mofio,  the  great  Niam-Niam, 
king  of  the  west,  and  are  accompanied  by  considerable  bands  of 


794  PRIVATE  SLAVES. 

armed  men,  whom  they  recruit  for  this  purpose  from  the  best 
of  their  slaves.  Contrary  to  the  policy  of  the  Khartoom  ivory- 
merchants,  the  Gellahbas  have  by  degrees  supplied  King  Mofio 
with  such  a  number  of  firearms,  that  he  is  now  said  to  have  at 
his  command  a  force  of  three  hundred  fully  equipped  warriors, 
a  formidal)le  fighting  force,  with  which  he  seriously  threatens 
any  expedition  of  the  Khartoomers  that  may  enter  his  domin- 
ions. His  store  of  slaves  appears  absolutely  inexhaustible;  year 
after  year  his  territories  go  on  yielding  thousands  upon  thou- 
sands, which  he  obtains  either  from  the  slave  tribes  that  he  has 
subjected,  or  by  raids  organized  against  the  surrounding  nations. 
The  demand  for  slaves  in  the  Seribas,  says  Sir  Samuel 
Baker,  would  alone  suffice  to  support  a  very  flourishing  trade. 
Numerically,  the  Mohammedan  settlers  bear  a  high  ratio  to 
the  native  population,  and  in  some  of  the  western  territories,  as 
amongst  the  Kredy,  Golo,  and  Sehre,  they  are  actually  con- 
siderably in  excess  of  the  total  number  of  natives,  mIio  only 
consist  of  bearers  and  agricultural  laborers.  Taken  one  with 
another,  every  Nubian  possesses  about  three  slaves ;  and  thus  it 
may  easily  be  conceived  that  the  computation  is  not  too  high 
that  places  the  total  number  of  private  slaves  in  the  country  at 
between  fifty  thousand  and  sixty  thousand.  These  private 
slaves  are  quite  distinct  from  those  that  are  kept  in  store  and 
used  as  merchandise ;  they  may  be  divided  into  four  categories : 

1.  Boys  from  seven  to  ten  years  of  age,  Avho  are  employed  to 
carry  guns  and  ammunition  ;  and  every  Nubian  soldier  possesses 
at  least  one  of  these  juvenile  armor-bearers. 

2.  The  second  class  includes  the  greater  part  of  the  full-groM'n 
natives  of  the  Seribas,  who  are  porters  or  soldiers  as  occasion 
may  require.  ' 

3.  Tiie  third  class  of  private  slaves  is  from  the  women  who 
are  kept  in  the  houses;  who  are  either  "  favorites"  or  drudges, 
as  the  whim  of  their  owners  may  determine,  and  at  best  are 
chattels  passed  from  hand  to  hand  like  dollars. 

4.  Last  are  the  slaves  employed  exclusively  in  husbandry. 
But  passing  from  the  institution  as  it  exists  at  home  under 

the  various  pretences  of  government,  let  us  turn  our  attention 
to  those  slaves  who  are  regarded  as  actual  merchandise,  and 
who  are  dragged  into   bondage  from  the  Upper  Nile  lands^ 


ESTIMATED   ANNUAL   TRAFFIC.  795 

solely  for  purposes  of  profit.  In  order  to  demonstrate  liow  im- 
portant at  the  present  time  is  the  part  taken  by  the  district  of 
t!ie  Gazelle  in  the  entire  Afriean  slave-trade,  I  'vvill  take  a  brief 
survey  of  the  sources  which  all  the  year  round  supply  the  end- 
less succession  of  the  dealers  with  fresh  stores  of  living  wares, 
and  which,  branching  off  into  three  great  highways  to  the  north, 
yield  up  their  very  life-blood  to  gratify  the  insatiable  and 
luxurious  demands  of  Egypt,  Arabia,  Persia,  and  Asiatic 
Turkey.  Previous  travellers  have  estimated  the  total  of  the 
annual  traffic  in  this  immense  region  to  be  twenty-five  thousand, 
but  I  shall  show  by  a  very  summary  reckoning  that  this  is  far 
too  low  a  computation. 

The  three  currents  for  the  slave-trade  in  northeast  Africa  (a 
region  corresponding  to  what  may  be  geographically  termed 
the  "Nile  district")  are  the  natural  highways  of  the  Nile  and 
the  Red  Sea,  and  the  much  frequented  caravan  roads  that, 
traversing  the  deserts  at  no  great  -distance  to  the  west  of  the 
Nile,  find  their  outlet  either  in  Siout  or  near  Cairo.  As  a 
proof  of  how  little  these  roads  even  now  are  known,  I  may 
mention  that  when,  in  the  summer  of  1871,  a  caravan  with  two 
thousand  slaves  arrived  direct  from  Wadai,  it  ciiused  quite  a 
sensation  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  pyramids  of  Gizeh;  it  was 
supposed  to  have  traversed  a  geographical  terra  incognita,  and 
it  divided  and  dispersed  itself  as  mysteriously  as  it  came.  It  is 
far  more  difficult  to  place  the  deserts  under  inspection  than  tlie 
ocean,  and  this  is  especially  the  case  in  the  vicinity  of  a  river, 
wdiere  a  caravan  can  easily  supply  itself  Avith  water  for  many 
days.  The  borders  of  a  desert  are  like  the  coasts  of  an  unnavi- 
gable  ocean.  The  plan,  however,  of  establishing  a  system  of 
control  along  the  borders  of  the  Nile  valley,  corresponding  to 
the  coast-guard  cruisers  on  our  seas,  has  never  yet  been  tried. 
Numerous  sources  are  thus  free  still  to  pour  their  flood  of 
human  life  across  these  unguarded  borders.  According  to  Dr. 
Schweinfurth,  wdio  writes  with  a  perspicuity  which  indicates 
accuracy  of  information  on  this  subject,  the  regions  in  which 
Baker  put  down  the  trade  were  really  one  of  its  most  unim- 
portant sources.  The  Galla  countries  still  supply  the  markets 
of  Matamma  and  Zeyla,  and  Sennear,  with  many  thousand  an- 
nually.    The  Bcrta  and  Dinka  countries,  the  Agow  of  Abys- 


796  ITS   SUPPRESSION. 

sinia,  still  supply  the  markets  of  Khartoom  and  Djidda.  And 
the  Bongo  Mittoo,  and  Babuckur,  still  supply  the  upper  district 
of  the  Bahrel-Ghazal.  But  we  learn  that  by  far  the  most  im- 
portant source  of  the  trade  finding  its  outlet  on  the  northeast 
is  found  in  the  negro  countries  to  the  south  of  Darfoor,  whence 
12,000  or  15,000  souls  are  annually  exported,  and  greater 
numbers  still  are  drawn  from  the  countries  belonging  to  the 
Xiam-Niam  king  by  right  of  conquest;  and  finally  an  im- 
portant source  is  found  in  the  mountains  south  of  Kordofan, 
where,  after  his  bloody  conquest,  Mehemet  Ali,  the  great  re- 
former and  usurper  in  Egypt,  allowed  kidnapping  to  be  a 
legitimate  source  for  the  state  revenue ;  thus  himself  initiating 
the  iniquity  which  has  been  pursued  with  such  Satanic  cruelties 
by  his  followers  ever  since.  From  these  various  districts  the 
slaves  are  carried  in  caravans  across  the  country  to  the  different 
ntarts,  and  scenes  of  cruelty  are  witnessed  which  beggar  de- 
scription. 

This  trade  is  of  immense  importance  in  connection  with  the 
world's  work  in  Africa,  because  evervthing:  else  is  involved  in 
it.  We  have  seen  this  trade  baffling  the  noblest  missionary 
efibrts,*retarding  science  and  commerce,  and  entangling  the  feet 
of  the  bravest  explorers.  We  feel  that  it  is  not  overmuch  to 
say,  that  but  for  the  difficulties  growing  out  of  the  slave-trade 
alone,  David  Livingstone  would  have  seen  before  his  death  his 
cherished  desire  in  prosperous  mission  stations  in  the  heart  of 
Africa,  and  that  he  would  have  settled  forever  the  great  Nile 
question. 

Various  theories  are  advanced  for  its  suppression.  What  the 
true  policy  will  be  proved  to  be,  only  the  future  can  determine. 
How  soon  any  policy  may  be  expected  to  bring  success  can 
liardly  be  surmised.  The  difficulty  on  the  eastern  coast  may  be 
met  by  the  men-of-war,  as  it  was  on  the  west,  whenever,  at  least, 
a  trifling  compact  may  be  done  away  with,  under  which  the 
Sultan  of  Zanzibar  seems  to  hold  the  riglit  of  the  trade  in  the 
Indian  Ocean.  That  along  the  Red  Sea,  which  some  years  ago 
M'as  very  considerable,  has  been  greatly  reduced;  there  still 
exists  a  powerful  patronage  for  it  in  lords  of  Egypt.  Sir  Samuel 
Baker  persists  in  his  belief  that  the  Khedive  was  sincere  in  his 
professions  of  anxiety  to  break  the  trade  up,  although  he  con- 


THE    KULER   OF   EGYPT.  71)7 

tinually  witnessed,  even  while  untler  commission  from  this 
worthy,  transactions  which  it  hardly  seemed  could  be  without 
his  knowledge  and  approval,  and  although  he  had  hardly 
reached  England  before  one  of  the  most  notorious  slave-traders, 
whom  he  had  held  a  prisoner,  was  liberated  and  appointed  to 
positions  of  honor  and  trust,  in  the  same  department  which  he 
had  occupied.  He  may  be  sincere  but  lie  is  weak.  "  It  is," 
Avrites  Dr.  Schweinfurth,  "  commonly  supposed  that  the  ruler 
of  Egypt  is  a  despot  of  purest  water;  this,  however,  is  a  great 
mistake.  In  many  respects  the  Egyptian  government  is  ex- 
tremely mild  ;  criminals,  and  officials  who  have  been  remiss  in 
their  duty  are  rarely  severely  punished,  and  the  only  delinquency 
that  it  will  not  overlook  is  the  refusal  to  pay  taxes ;  and  even 
here  matters  would  not  be  so  bad,  if  it  were  uot  that  the  disor- 
derly administration  involves  the  officials  in  making  encroach- 
hig  demands.  The  viceroy  has  little  power  over  the  highei 
authorities,  who  manage  to  sneak  behind  the  crescent  of  Stani- 
boul ;  he  is  no  more  than  a  viceroy,  the  high-sounding  Persian 
title  of  khedive  which  he  assumes  is  in  reality  no  more  than  a 
title.  He  can  only  issue  his  orders,  and  then  all  boats  that  come 
down  the  White  Nile  are  confiscated,  and  in  Khartoom  espe- 
cially, where  it  is  good  policy  to  make  a  stir  in  the  eyes  of  the 
European  residents,  all  kinds  of  repressive  measures  are  ])rO" 
posed.  In  displaying  their  zeal  in  the  cause,  the  authorities 
often  commit  acts  of  the  greatest  injustice,  and  Mohammedans 
sometimes  find  their  wives  and  families  sequestrated  as  slaves, 
merely  because  they  happen  to  be  black.  Such  proceedings 
afford  a  fine  opportunity  for  the  subordinate  officials  to  make  a 
harvest  out  of  the  injured  people  by  extorting  ransom-money, 
and  by  making  other  extortionate  demands.  I  can  myself  bear 
witness  that  several  of  my  servants  were  deprived  of  their  wives 
and  children  and  put  into  chains,  and  I  had  to  write  to  the 
minister,  and  accompany  the  people  to  Cairo  myself,  before  I 
could  get  justice  done  to  them  and  their  rights  restored,  and  all 
this  was  only  for  the  purpose  of  throwing  dust  in  my  eyes  and 
inducing  me  to  report  upon  the  wonderful  energy  displayed  by 
the  local  government  in  Khartoom.  But  meantime  the  cara- 
vans find  their  way  just  the  same  as  ever  through  Darfoor  and 
Kordofan  to  Dongola  and  Siout  and  still  they  are  brought  from 


.  ^'8  THE   COUNTRY    PARALYZED. 

Abyssinia  through  Grallabat  to  the  Red  Sea,  and  no  one  sees 
them  but  the  traveller.  In  Kordofan,  where  there  is  a  resident 
Egyptian  Governor,  the  trade  is  truly  enormous,  and  there  is 
now  as  well  the  slave-trade  from  Darfoor.  Siout,  the  common 
termination  of  the  roads,  is  the  only  place  where  this  trade  can 
be  cut  off,  and  that  could  only  be  effected  by  the  heaviest  sacri- 
fices for  the  commerce  of  Egypt.  The  conquest  of  Darfoor  by 
the  Egyptians  would  consequently  be  a  great  step  in  advance." 
Whether  officials  are  sincere  or  insincere,  the  continent  is  still 
being  robbed  of  its  population,  and  those  who  do  not  become  its 
victims  are  degraded  by  the  presence  of  the  traffic.  The  whole 
country  is  paralyzed  by  the  curse  which  it  carries. 

The  apathetic  Turks  and  Arabs  recognize  no  evil  in  their 
trade.  What  if  fifty  thousand  souls  do  go  into  bondage  yearly, 
"  who  are  they?"  But  the  time  has  come  when  the  vast  con- 
tinent can  be  no  longer  dispensed  with ;  it  must  take  its  share 
in  the  commerce  of  the  world,  and  this  can  never  be  until  the 
slave-trade  is  put  down  entirely  and' forever. 

It  interferes  with  legitimate  commerce,  desolates  the  finest 
districts,  cultivates  the  unholiest  passions,  and  casts  a  gloomy 
shadow  on  all  the  land.  It  bars  the  gates  against  science 
and  contests  the  approach  of  Christianity.  Africa  cannot  rise 
until  this  evil  is  removed.  Whatever  measures  are  used  for 
ks  suppression,  the  demand  must  be  destroyed,  there  must 
be  no  market.  Demand  always  creates  supply:  when  there 
is  no  market  for  slaves  there  will  be  no  slave-yokes.  The 
trade  is  an  inseparable  adjunct  of  the  institution.  The 
great  revolution  which  has  taken  place  on  the  question  of 
slavery  seems  to  have  a  direct  bearing  on  Africa.  That 
question  does  not  seem  to  be  an  abstract  one.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  slavery  is  almost  as  old  as  the  world  in  which  we 
dwell.  There  is  not  a  page  of  history  which  does  not  bear  its 
traces,  and  not  a  climate  nor  a  people  in  which  it  has  not  mr.de 
good  its  hold.  It  has  been  thoroughly  engrafted  in  Africa 
from  the  earliest  times.  The  earliest  mariners  found  it  there, 
and  found  a  system  of  kidnapping  which  extended  into  the 
heart  of  the  country.  The  countries  which  may  chance  to  bo 
or  to  have  been  the  possessors  of  slaves  at  any  given  time  are  not 
responsible  for  the  existence  of  the  institution.     It  belongs  to 


x<?^'"^r^:^^«wr^/^'</  <  ^    r<^^ 


EGYPTIAN    LADY. 


REDEMPTION    OF   AFRICA.  801 

tlie  ages,  has  had  its  place  and  its  mission.  Africa  in  bondage 
lias  boon  employed  in  developing  the  resources  of  those  nations 
which  were  to  be  most  conspicuous  in  giving  the  world  a  free- 
dom far  grander  and  more  .precious  than  the  freedom  of  the 
hands  from  fetters — a  freedom  of  mind  and  soul  through  Jesus 
Christ;  freedom  from  the  oppression  of  superstition  and  the 
bondage  of  vice.  We  do  not  need  to  condescend  to  the  narrow- 
mindedness  which  pronounces  on  all  questions  in  the  light  of 
a  single  day,  in  ordei*  that  we  may  recognize  the  hand  of  God 
in  the  revolution  which  brings  the  mighty  influence  of  those 
very  nations  which  attained  their  strength  by  means  of  slavery 
to  bear  directly  against  the  slave-trade.  The  time  has  come 
for  the  redemption  of  Africa.  Its  service  of  bondage  has  been 
long  and  important :  now  there  is  another  service  for  it.  The 
enslavement  of  a  people  and  their  elevation  are  incompatible. 
Their  elevation  is  ordered  and  their  fetters  must  fall  oif.  There 
may  seem  to  be  difficulties  in  the  way,  but  God  will  remove 
them. 

The  noblest  nations  of  the  world  have  come  to  the  front  in 
tlie  great  work.  They  have  put  their  immense  moral  influence 
against  slavery.  Nobody  ought  to  hesitate  to  do  so  if  the 
redemption  of  Africa  calls  for  it.  These  nations  have  all  held 
slaves,  African  slaves;  they  do  not  now  speak  against  them- 
selves, they  speak  for  Africa.  Egypt  already  feels  their  influ- 
ence. Egypt  must  abandon  the  institution.  Other  nations  will 
also  abandon  it.  God  controls  the  nations:  they  do  his  bidding. 
There  will  hardly  be  a  change  in  the  Arab  trader ;  he  will  read 
his  Koran  and  curse  the  infidel. 

The  work  will  go  on — whatever  stands  in  the  way  of  pro- 
gress must  fall,  whatever  resists  the  kingdom  of  Christ  will  be 
swept  away.  Men  ought  to  watch  diligently  the  tide  of  events, 
tliey  ought  to  study  prayerfully  the  leadings  of  providence. 
There  should  be  no  stubborn  resistance  of  destiny.  There  are 
very  few  customs  of  society  which  are  founded  in  abstract 
moral  questions;  they  generally  hold  with  their  occasion.  A 
man  has  no  business  putting  his  selfishness  in  the  way  of  the 
general  welfare,  neither  has  he  a  right  to  make  the  accidents  of 
history  the  basis  of  absolute  principles — the  fact  that  an  institu- 
tion is  sustained  by  the  necessities  of  tq-day  and  is  manifestly 


802  THE   NILE  SOURCES. 

owned  of  Gocl  for  good,  does  not  give  it  necessarily  a  claim  to 
perpetual  support — does  not  prove  that  there  may  never  come 
a  time  when  its  overthrow  will  be  a  blessing.  We  repeat,  there 
need  to  be  no  debate  about  slavery  in  itself — about  the  Scrip- 
tural warrant  to  hold  property  in  man.  The  question  is  a 
practical  one — can  commerce,  science,  philanthropy,  and  Chris- 
tianity do  their  work  in  Africa  while  caravans  are  traversing 
the  country  in  every  direction  creating  wars,  spreading  desola- 
tion, inculcating  darkest  superstitions,  inflaming  the  vicious 
tendencies,  dragging  away  hundreds  of  thousands  in  chains? 
Can  it  be  ?  Then,  is  not  Africa  worth  more  to  the  world  and 
of  more  consequence  to  our  Lord  Christ  than  this  trade  ?  Is  it 
not  better  to  set  every  slave  free  than  to  leave  a  continent  in 
darkness  and  sin?  The  time  has  come,  God  is  moving,  and  the 
work  will  go  on ;  and  if  there  are  those  who  are  touched  by  it 
who  receive  reluctantly  the  command,  let  them  remember  that 
it  is  not  a  compromise  of  principle  to  keep  up  with  providcna3 
— that  is  the  noblest  manhood  and  the  truest  Christianity  which 
snl)jects  its  theories  and  interests  to  the  necessities  of  mankind, 
and  the  demands  of  Christ's  kingdom. 

But  there  are  other  great  interests  demanding  our  notice. 
The  great  search  for  the  Nile  sources  divide  our  attention  with 
the  other  claims  of  Africa :  this  is  indeed  the  geographical  ques- 
tion of  the  day.  This  wonderful  river  has  engaged  the  curiosity 
Df  mpn  from  the  earliest. ages.  It  has  been  explored  southerly, 
through  thirty  degrees  of  latitude,  and  if  the  streams  which 
Dr.  Livingstone  followed  -with  so  much  enthusiasm  should 
prove  to  be  identical  with  it,  it  will  have  been  found  to  extend 
southerly  more  than  forty  degrees.  However  that  may  be,  the 
solution  of  the  problem  lies  now  in  a  comparatively  small  area; 
the  lakes  of  Baker,  Speke,  and  Livingstone  seem  to  hold  the 
long-sought  answer  between  them.  Baker  visited  all  the  Abys- 
sinian tributaries,  including  the  great  Blue  Nile,  which  had  been 
traced  to  its  source  by  the  celebrated  Bruce,  and  discovered  his 
Albert  N'Yanza  some  years  ago,  and  announced  his  discovery 
as  the  solution  of  the  great  })roblem,  his  theory  being  that  the 
equatorial  lakes  Albert  N'Yanza  and  Victoria  N'Yanza  of  Speke 
supply  the  main  stream,  while  the  inundations  arc  caused  by 
the  sudden  rush  of  waters  from  the  torrents  in  Abyssinia  daring 


THE    NARROWEST   LIMIT.  803 

July,  August,  and  September.  In  his  latest  work,  "  Isniailia," 
he*  gives  an  account  of  yet  more  thorough  exploration  of  the 
main  stream,  in  which  he  carried  a  steamer  as  high  up  as  Gon- 
dokoro.  As  the  result  of  this  expedition  he  says:  "I  have  not 
changed  my  opinions  that  have  already  been  expressed  in  the 
'Albert  N'Yanza,'  except  that,  from  tiie  native  testimony,  I 
presume  there  must  be  a  channel  which  connects  the  Tangan- 
yika with  the  Albert  N'Yanza."  This  channel  he  thinks  may 
easily  have  escaped  the  notice  of  Dr.  Livingstone  and  Mr. 
Stanley  when  skirting  the  reedy  northern  shores  of  Tanganyika 
lake.  The  Victoria  N'Yanza  is  understood  to  be  connected  with 
the  Albert  N'Yanza  by  Six>ke's  "  White  Nile."  And  around 
tliese  two  lakes,  possibly  including  the  Tanganyika,  Sir  Sanuiel 
draws  his  line,  circumscribing  the  Nile  basin.  Dr.  Living- 
stone held  his  theory,  concerning  the  Lualaba,  more  modestly, 
and  perhaps  justly  so.  Dr.  Schweinfurth,  who,  as  wail  as  Baker, 
was  a  cotemporary  of  Dr.  Livingstone  during  those  years  in 
which  he  was  engaged  about  this  problem,  agrees  witli  Baker  in 
declaring  the  very  decided  improbability  of  the  Lualaba  being 
at  all  connected  with  the  Nile.  The  search  has  however  been 
brought  within  the  narrowest  limit,  and  the  glory  of  the  great 
discovery  lies,  without  a  doubt,  between  these  few  men,  to  be 
borne  oiF  in  part  by  the  man  who  may  come  in  between  them 
and  settle  the  dispute. 

This  wonderful  river,  the  patron  of  Egypt  in  her  days  of 
power  and  splendor,  may  yet  become  the  channel  along  which 
the  civilization  long  since  departed  from  its  famous  delta  may 
penetrate  the  very  heart  of  the  continent.  The  Niger,  the  Nile, 
and  the  Zambesi,  barred  as  they  may  be  by  cataracts,  present  no 
insuperable  obstacles;  and  the  interior  presents  a  lake  and  river 
system  which,  with  some  imperfections,  still  offers  the  greatest 
encouragement  to  commerce. 

But  there  is  a  question  of  greater  importance  than  all  else. 
The  noblest  of  all  the  travellers,  while  he  was  journeying  toward 
Rmgweolo  the  last  time,  wrote,  "The  discovery  of  the  trne 
source  c:'  fh  Nile  is  nothing  to  me,  except  as  it  may  be  turned 
to  the  advantage  of  Christian  missions."  In  all  his  trav(>ls  he 
retained  the  spirit,  the  habits  and  aims,  with  which  he  entered 
his  work  among  the  Bakwains.     The  missionary  spirit  has  con- 


804  MISSIOXAKY   EFFORTS. 

tributed  very  greatly  to  the  success  of  all  those  great  enterprises 
which  have  engaged  the  minds  of  men.  Christianity  has  been 
the  real,  though  sometimes  unrecognized,  champion  of  humanity 
in  all  its  experiences.  A  distinguished  author,  in  connection 
with  the  suppression  of  the  slave-trade,  has  ventured  tlie  asser- 
tion that  ''  Heligious  institutions  have  effected  little  or  nothing 
in  the  cause  of  humanity."  Possibly  he  may  have  distinguished 
in  his  own  mind  between  the  organization,  as  such,  and  the 
individual  representing  in  his  life  the  spirit  presumed  to  be  in- 
corporated in  the  organization.  But  the  statement  savors  much 
of  the  disposition  to  detract  from  the  glory  of  Christianity 
which  inheres  with  human  nature.  This  writer  could  surely 
not  have  been  ignorant  of  the  tremendous  influence  being  exerted 
by  Dr.  Livingstone,  at  the  very  time  of  his  writing,  against  the 
identical  evil  of  which  he  was  speaking ;  and  he  could  hardly 
have  been  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ 
was  the  ruling  power  in  his  heart ;  and  he  ought  to  have  known 
also  that  in  coming  to  Africa  he  did  the  bidding  of  a  religious 
institution.  Indeed  it  may  be  confidently  asserted  that  Christi- 
anity, more  than  anything  else,  is  moving  the  mighty  forces 
which  are  to  deliver  that  long  degraded  land  from  its  chains 
and  ignorance.  Where  is  the  simple  servant  of  science  or 
government  who  has  laid  his  life  entirely  and  absolutely  on  the 
altar  for  Africa  ? 

And  Christianity  will  not  fail  to  take  advantage  of  the  pro- 
gress. The  western  and  southern  coasts  have  been  the  scene  of 
very  successful  missionary  efforts  in  the  past ;  and  already  tliere 
are  settlements  being  made  at  different  points  in  the  interior  so 
recently  explored.  On  the  Kile  there  have  been  misfortunes,  as 
there  Svere  on  the  Zambesi  and  the  8hlre,  but  even  Sir  Samuel 
Baker,  who  could  not  embrace  the  missionary  work  in  his 
theories  for  the  elevation  of  Africa,  proclaims  In  his  recent  work 
the  assurance  that  there  will  now  be  no  dlffioulty  on  the  U]ipcr 
Nile,  nothing  to  interfere  with  them.  Various  nations  are 
represented  in  the  societies  which  are  engaged  in  this  good 
work.  Among  them  all  Dr.  Livingstone  was  pleased  to  say 
that  "Americans  make  superior  missionaries."  We  have  in- 
deed noble  representatives  there  and  in  other  lands,  and  their 
labors  are  richly   rewarded.     And  we  will  watch  eagerly  the 


I    \ 


A   CORDIAL   WELCOME   TO   MISSIONARIES.  805 

patli  which  Dr.  Livingstone  has  made  into  the  heart  of  the 
darkness,  and  hail  witli  joy  the  fires  which  one  after  one  will  be 
kindled  there.  The  world  will  never  be  able  to  estimate  the 
work  of  Dr.  Livingstone.  That  M'ork  did  not  consist  alone  in 
traversing  unknown  regions  :  he  has  introduced  the  English 
name  and  manners  to  the  Africans,  and  he  has  laid  the  African 
character  so  clearly  before  us,  that  those  who  are  moved 
to  labor  there  for  Christ  will  have  not  only  a  guide-book  to  the 
heart  of  a  continent,  but  a  guide-book  to  the  hearts  of  the 
lieathen  who  dwell  there.  The  difficulties  have  been  largely 
removed  by  his  powerful  influence ;  a  cordial  welcome  is  pro- 
claimed from  the  central  tribes  to  all  missionaries  of  the  gospel. 
The  importance  of  the  work  of  Dr.  Livingstone  to  missions  can 
never  be  estimated ;  and  already  settlements  are  springing  up  in 
his  track.  Where  missionaries  have  been  able  to  hold  their 
positions  in  Africa  their  work  has  always  been  encouraging; 
v.'hen  they  are  in  possession  of  healthful  homes,  and  surrounded 
by  tribes  uncorrupted  by  the  influences  which  exist  about  all 
the  coast  settlements,  there  is  reason  to  anticipate  still  more 
encouraging  returns.  There  can  be  no  question  about  the 
adaptation  of  our  religion  to  the  wants  and  capacities  of  even 
the  most  degraded.  There  is  no  poor  negro  in  all  Africa  on 
whose  benighted  soul  the  light  of  the  Cross  may  not  shine  with 
all  its  quickening  and  transforming  efficiency. 


THE   END. 


TIEiZB 

EDITED  BY 

Rt.  Rey.  Wm.  j3acon  Stevens,  D-D-,  L.L.D. 

BISHOP  OF  THE  DIOCESE  OF  PENNA. 

T7w  greater  part  of  this  hooh  is  ivritten  hy  the  editor,  BISHOJ' 
STEVEXS,  and  is  one  of  the  very  clioicest  works  of  his  life.  Ho  is 
well-known  and  beloved  hy  the  great  and  good  of  every  denomination, 
and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  learned  expounders  of  HOLY  Vi/RIT, 
now  living  in  our  Country.  The  richest  and  rarest  thougftts  of  the 
most  distinguished  divines  of  England  and  Ameidea,  have  been 
(fathered  with  the  nicest  discrimination,  and  compose  a  few  cha.pters 
of  this  wonderful  book.  They  are  all  in  harmony  with  the  author*  s 
grand  central  idea,  which  is  to  unfold  and  illustrate  to  all  the 
varied  experiences  of  human  life,  "  THE  GLORIOUS  COVEJfAJfT 
PROMISES,  AJ^D  TEjYDER  MERCIES  OF  OUR  GOD"  so  beauti- 
fully symbolized  by  tlve  "BOW  m  THE  CLOUD." 

An  original  feature  of  this  book,  is  to  clothe  the  truths  so  forcibly 
expressed  in  prose,  in  the  finest  forms  of  poetry;  an  exquisite  gem 
follows  each  chapter,  intimately  related  to  its  sentiment,  a^nd  iJ^cs 
helping  to  fix  its  lessons  forever  on  the  memory  of  the  heart.  Appro- 
priate selections  from  the?  k(jLS  OF  INSPIRATION,  are  also  added  to 
each  chapter,  giving  the  seal  and  power  of  the  Unerring  Word  to  the 
aJ}lcst  and  most  faithful  teaching  of  human  wisdom,. 

In  perfect  keeping  are  the  seven  superb  Steel  Engravings,  which 
embellish  the  work.  TJiey  are  truly  rare  specimens  of  ai^tistic  skill, 
executed  in  the  highest  style  of  the  art;  fj^om  original  designs  by  C. 
SCHUESSLE,  who  is  admired  both  by  European  and  American  critics 
OjS  among  the  first  artists  now  living. 

JVb  expense  has  been  spared  to  make  the  mechanical  execution 
perfect  in  every  respect.  The  styles  of  biizdirvgs  are  from  new  and 
elaborate  designs  of  very  rare  elegance. 

G035rnDITZ01:TS. 

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61 

In  all  respects  the  most  complete  as  well  as  profusely  and  beautifully 
Illustrated  edition  of  the  Book  of  Books  ever  published. 

rp  -rir  -r^ 

^nmiiii  eoMESTEO  bible, 

AND 

ILLUSTRATED  SCRIPTURE  CYCLOPEDIA, 


CONTAINIMO   NOT   ONLY 


The   Old   and   New   Testaments, 

Apocrypha,  Concordance,  and  Psalms  in  Metre, 

BDT    ALSO    A 

COMPREHENSIVE  PRONOUNCLNG  BIBLE  DICTIONARY; 


AND 

Improved  Comprehensive  helps  to  the  Study  of  the  Bible, 

COMPRIglNa   A 

History  of  the  Books  of  the  Bible, 

Fac-simil<'8  of  the  ANCIENT  BIBLE  MANUSCRIPTS.  An  index  showing  the  seven  great 
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&i;.,  all  written  to  increase  the  interest  in,  and  aid  materially  in  the  study  of  THE  WORD  OF 
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our  country.     These  Bibles  are  also 

ILLUSTRATED  WITH  NEARLY  800  HIGHIY-FINISHED  ENGRAVINGS, 

AND  CONTAIN 

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THE 

isw  mmizki  f  misisi  ismoi  of 

Containiiig  entiee,  tlie  Life  and  strange  surprising  adventures  of  "  ROBINSON"  CRUSOE,** 
of  YORK,  MARINER. 

Also,  a  FULL  and  ACCURATE  MEMOIR  of  its  justly  celebrated  author, 

BANI^I^  'BM  worn. 

And  &  Life  of  tlie  verital>le  ALEXANDER  SELKIRK,  whose  strangely  adventurous  career  sug- 
gested the  plan  of  this  unparalleled  work,  now  regarded  as  the 

mOHEST  OEM  IN  LITERA.TXJIIE.  . 

SPLENDIDLY  ILLUSTRATED 


It  contains  orer  100  more  pages  than  the  English  edition,  which  is  without 
either  the  memoir  of  the  author  or  the  Life  of  Alexander  Selkirk. 

As  a  RICH  intellectual  repast,  for  naturalness,  truth  and  simplicity,  delicate 

WIT,  PURE    MORALITY,  INSTRUCTIVE    VINDICATION  of  the   AVAYS  OP    PROVIDENCE, 

and  mauy  other  unmentioned  beauties,  the  judgment  of  the  most  enlightened 
men  of  all  nations  has  placed  "Robinson  Crusoe"  upon  a  height  unequalled  by 
any  other  work.  What  pleasure  has  this  wonderful  tale  given,  and  still  gives. 
All  readers  find  its  pages  an  unfailing  source  of  pure  deligUt. 

It  blends  instruction  with  amusement  in  a  way  no  other  production  of  human 
intellect  has  ever  succeeded  in  doing. 

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IMPORTANT  TO  HORSE  OWNERS. 


THE 


SECRET    REVEALED; 

ART  OF  TAMING  HORSES, 

A3   DISCOVERED   AND   PRACTICED   BY 

WILLIS  J.  POWELL  and  J.  S.  RAREY, 

Whose  triumphant  stiocess  in  bringing  into  perfect  obedience  to  their  will  the  proudest,  most  intel- 
ngcut,  and  useful  of  beasts 

.^STonsrisiiEiD    the    "v^r otixj id. 

This  book  contains  the  whole  secret  of 
the  art  as  practiced  by  them,  written  in 
plain  language  by  tiiiise  celebrated 
Horsemen  themselves,  so  that  any  in- 
telligent man  may  easily  comprehend, 
and  by  a  little  careful  study  successfully 
practice. 

This  art,  for  which  THorsANDS  wil- 
lingly paid  o\ir  authors  ^'5  to  see  illus- 
trated, is  here  given  by  tiioni  in  compact, 
convenient,  and  permanent  form,  csa^y  of 
reference,  and  with  the  most  important 
facts  truthfully  illustrated;  and  furnished, 
very  neatly  bound,  for  the  Irifiiny  sum 
of  S1.50  per  copy. 

In  all  ages  and  countries  the  art  of 
Taming  Animals  has  possessed  a  peculiar 
fa.scination  for  mankind.  The  pride  of 
man  has  led  liim  to  assert  and  show  his 
power,  through  reason  over  instinct,  over 
the  beasts  of  the  forest,  or  the  untamed 
animals  of  the  plain. 

The  horse  being  the  most  useful,  and 
possessing  more  intelligence  than  most 
other  animals,  has  been  particularly  a 
matter  of  study,  not  only  in  subduing 
him  to  man's  will,  but  breaking  him  to 
use.  Until  within  a  few  years  past  no 
thoroughly  intelligent  method  was  adop- 
ted ;  it  was  left  to   WiLLls  J.  rowEi.L, 

v.-ho  discovered  the  secret  of  Taming  Wild  Horses,  to  first  bring  it  to  notice.     His  early  death  jjre- 

vented  his  giving  his  wonderful  secret  to  the  world  with  all  the  publicity  that  his  pupil,  John  S. 

Ilarey,  ha.s  done  in  this  volume. 

No  one  should  pretend  to  handle  a  colt,  or  to  own  a  horse,  without  making  himself  master  of  the 

( 'ateuta  of  this  wonderful  and  jjractical  work, 

WHICH  GIVES  FULL  INSTRUCTIONS  AND  LIEECTIONS 

aow  to  Break  and  Hide  Colts,  to  Tame  the  most  Vicious  Hordes  and  Gentle  them  to  r.ll 
:ind3  of  Vehicles  or  Work,  to  Break  them  of  Kicking  or  any  other  Bad  Tricks,  to  Teauh 
.hem  any  kind  of  Tricks  or  Actions,  etc.,  etc. ;  with  numerous  Valuable  Receipts  lor  Diseu-ses 
of  Horses,  Mules.  Cows,  etc.;  How  to  Fatten  Horses,  Cows,  etc.;  How  to  Teach  Turkeys  and 
Animals  to  Dance;  How  to  Tame  Deer,  etc.,  eto. 

BEST  ENGLISH  CLOTH,  GOLD  SIDE  AND  BACK,    -    $1.50  per  copy, 

AGENTS  WANTED.    Address  the  Piiblislters.    (Sek  Title  Page.) 


^It  gttitt  ptt^^tti- 


SIX  ELEGANT  VOLUMES  OF  THE  CHOICEST  POETRY,  BY  A  NUMBER  OF  THE  MOST 
POPULAR  POETS,  BOTH  ENGLISH  AND  AMERICAN. 

POSMS  OF  IMAGIKATIOH,  FANCY,  NATURE,  AND  SENTIMENT, 

By    WOJtDSWORTII  and   TENyXSON, 

THE  POETS  LAUREATE  OF  ENQLAND. 

iTorfsworth  the  poet  of  Nature,  a  singorof  the  higlipst  order,  calm  as  a  Bummer  sunset,  soothing  as  the  finest  ptninfj  hnrji 
Soict}uy  says  of  him,  "A  jjreatcr  ]>(>et  there  never  has  been,  or  ever  will  he."  Tennyson,  too,  with  his  hricht  fanci'c.  h>s 
(>ep  emotions,  transportinK  us  into  a  world  of  beauty,  interpreting  so  truly  whatwe  all  have  felt,  but  few  are  gifteu  lo 
express.     Ilia  words  gleam  like  pearls  aud  opals,  like  rubies  and  emeralds. 

^emM&  QF  WMM  l^TESoEomQT'  ^^^  TME  ^FFE€W£QXSt 

By  BItOWyiNG  and  SEMANS. 

Household  names,  loved  by  humanity— the  former,  in  her  own  peculiar  language  of  a  high  poetical  nature,  leading  ns 
among  the  walks  of  human  woe,  touching  chords  of  sympathy  for  every  class  of  oppression,  singing  h^r  hich  notes  of 
heroic  verse,  her  tender  lyrics  of  intense  and  holy  passion,  heigh  Hunt  calls  her  "The  Sister  of  Tennyson."  And 
Unmans,  too,  with  her  sweet  Poems  of  the  Affections, — lovely  interpretations  of  what  every  breast  has  felt  of  the  bless<'il- 
jess  of  those  pure  and  holy  tics  which  bind  together  human  hearts.  Mrs.  Sigoumey  gave  to  her  the  following  well- 
deserved  and  beautiful  tribute : — 

The  mother  shrive  thee  as  a  vested  flame 


"  Every  unborn  age 
Shnil  mix  thee  with  its  hcuischold  charities; 
The  hoary  sire  shall  bow  hi-;  deafened  ear, 
And  greet  thy  sweet  words  with  his  henison ; 


In  the  lone  temple  other  sanctity; 

And  the  young  child  who  takes  thee  by  the  band. 

Shall  travel  with  a  surer  step  to  heaven." 


SONNETS    AND    MELODIES, 

By  LAMIt  AND  MOORE. 

A  volume  of  sweet  ballads,  from  hearts  that  felt  deeply— the  former  paying  the  price  that  a  high-strung  nature  must 
inevitably  endure  in  order  to  become  a  true  ]ioct.  The  latter,  as  tlie  author  of  "The  Irish  Melodiet.,"  will  be  immortal. 
I'rof.  Wilson  says  of  him,  "Of  all  the  song  writers  that  ever  warbled,  or  chanted,  or  eung,  the  best,  in  our  cstimatioa,  is 
verily  none  other  than  Thomas  Moore." 

BSAY'5  mm\  mil,  mmmmii  or  hehor?  ai  mi 

By  ROGERS  and  CAMPBELL. 

Of  the  former,  it  is  praise  enoiigh  to  record  Byron's  words,  who  said  that  "  ho  would  rather  have  been  the  author  of '  Gray's 
Klegy'than  all  the  jwrns  thiit  h"  had  ever  written."  "It  is  the  corner-stone  of  his  glory.  It  pleased  in-tantly  and 
eternally."  The  poems  of  Campbell  and  lto;;ei-s  may  be  called  household  treiusures.  The  former  is  celeV)rated  ,n.s  t!ie  author 
of  "  The  Pleasures  of  Memory,"  of  which  Moir  truly  records :  "  It  is  a  poem  exquisite  in  conception  and  execuiion,  combin- 
ing a  fine  feeling  of  nature,  and  a  high  tone  of  morality,  with  elegant  scholarship.  It  is  pervaded  by  beauty  of  grace  and 
sentiment,  and  never  will  be  forgotten  till  the  world  is  in  its  dotage." 

Of  the  latter,  "  Th'>  Pleasures  of  Hope  "  was  his  masterpiece,  and  was  pronounced  by  Lord  Byron  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful didactic  poems  In  our  language.  Sentiments  tender,  energetic,  impassioned,  eloquent  and  majestic  are  conveyed  to 
the  reader  in  the  tones  of  a  music  forever  varied — sinking  and  swelling  like  the  harmonies  of  an  seolian  lyre. 


This  volume  is  composed  of  the  choicest  selections  from  the  works  of  many  of  our  most  gifted  and  refined  popf,  spr^akinin; 
of  the  hallowed  joys  and  dutiet*  of  the  day  of  holy  rept,  coming  with  holy  voices  t«  (juiet  human  grief,  to  purify  huiiian  love 
and  elevate  human  hope,  by  linking  it  to  the  skies;  and  illustrating,  by  Spring  tributes,  Summer  reverie.s.  Autumn 
beauties  and  Winter  serenades,  the  beautiful  lessons  suggested  by  the  seasons. 

FOEXRY  OF  THE  FIEI.X)S  JLNTi  TftTOODS. 

This  volume  is  also  c<imiH)3ed  of  tlie  richest  poems  upon  this  delightful  subject,  gleaned  from  the  whole  realm  ,f  int. ire's 
ardent  poetic  worstiippci-.s,  and  sings  to  us  of  rural  Bi>ort.s,  golden  harvests,  lovely  vales,  cool  breezes  for  hcate.l  l.i  'Ws,  of 
shady  forests,  of  sweet  choristers  in  the  green  cloisters,  and  of  the  sublime  and  holy  silence  of  nature. 


The  fine-line  steel  ongnivings  which  enrich  these  volumes  were,  at  gre.at  expense,  designed  and  engraved  by  Knflsnd's 
best  artists,  to  insure  perfect  iwrtraita,  and  to  illustrate  especially  the  choice  poems  of  their  gifted  authoi-s,  in  tlni  hi^;)iest 
style  of  art. 

We  offer  these  benutiful  volumes  to  the  public,  believing  that  they  will  be  the  most  attractive  yet  issued  in  our  country, 
and  most  suitable  fir  a  parlor  ornament  or  gifts  to  dear  friends. 

COITTEITTS,  STYLES,  -A.1TID    FltlCES. 
The,ie  Tolnmes  will   each  ront.iin  an   illuminated  title  page,  and  almnt  2^C,  pages.     They  will  bo  printed  on   beautiful 
tinted   pn|ier,  an'l   ilbi-fritr'd   by  the   finest  steel   ongravini^s   of  exquinite  finii-h,  eight  to   each  volume,  and  will   bo  ve"y 
richly  iMiuiid.     They  will  bo  sold  either  separately  or  in  a  set,  at  the  following  price: 

Extra  KnfflMi  Cloth,  flnithed  in  Black  Enamel  and  Gold,  OM  Edf......  per  rofc  $9.00 

AGENTS  WAN  TED,    Address  the  ruhlishers,    (See  Title  Page.) 


13 1 3>ff  C3rILi3E3"1E"' S 

A  Library  of  Pleasing  Anecdote  and  Graphic  Description, 

TREATING  Of  THE  HABITS  AND  PECULIAEITIES  OF 

NEfeRlY  EVERY  KNOWN  SPECIES  Of  ANIMAL  LIFE. 
II 


BY   REV.   ^VM,   BINGLEY,  A.M., 

The    ACCOMPLTSHED    SCHOLAR,   EMT\EyT   DIVINE,  and    H'OVULAR    ArTIIOTt    of 
"Memoirs  of  Jtritish  Quadrupedal,"  "Animal  Biography,"  '^Useful  Knoti'ledffe,"  etc.,  etc, 

A  Splendid  Volume  of  1042  Pages  and  1070  Illustrations,  over  60  of  them  full-page, 
»  I   w   »  » 

This  work  is  the  result  of  years  of  close  observation  and  laborious  research  on  the  part  of  nn  nnlcnt 
loTer  and  most  careful  student  of  Nature,  aided  by  tho  extensive  labors  of  Cuvier,  Bukkox,  Wood, 
Dallas,  Wilso.v,  Audubon,  Boxapaute,  Nuttall,  Agassiz,  Jardine,  Rrkwer,  and  others. 

All  works  hitherto  published  on  this  subject  have  either  been  mere  toy  books  for  children,  or  so  scicn- 
tifio,  and  so  tilled  with  technical  terms,  as  to  be  well  nigh  incomprehensible,  except  to  those  scientificnlly 
educated;  but  this  work  is  written  in  a  style  that  any  one  who  can  read  can  understand.  The  style 
adopted  is  that  of  description  and  anecdote,  bein^  at  once  attractive  to  both  young  and  old,  and  tbu» 
rendering  the  acquisition  of  a  large  amount  of  invaluable  information  easy  and  pleasurable. 

This  subject  is  one  of  immense  range  and  inexhaustible  interest  to  every  inquiring  mind,  speaking,  ni 
it  does,  of  nearly  every  existing  species  of  Aniical  Life  that  the  Gukat  Cheatou  has  niiido  to  liva 
upon  the  face  of  the  earth.  Here  wo  find  the  whole  Aio.nkey  family  (uiiin's  first  cousin,  ncc'irding  to 
Darwin),  from  the  powerful  and  savage  Oran-Octan  to  the  mischievous  Pqimrrkl  and  WniTK-xipcD 
•pecies.  The  ferocious  beasts  of  the  forests  and  jungles  of  Asia  and  Africa;  the  I-ion*.  flie  klnr/  of 
beauts;  the  Leopard,  noted  for  his  spots  ;  the  Tigkr,  Jaguar,  PANrnKR,  etc. :  the  Uimheiiu-i  Rijiso-- 
CF.Ros,  the  moiistriiua  Elephant,  the  faithful  Camel,  the  beautiful  Giraffe  and  Zkbra.  The  noRKa 
TRIBE,  from  tha  proud,  praucinj  steed  of  the  plains  to  the  docile  family  ptt  aud  pride.  The  FKATHERf:l> 
TRIBE,  from  the  toft;/  Eaglk  family,  who  soar  among  the  clouds,  and  rear  their  young  far  above  niid 
away  from  the  haunts  of  men,  to  the  thousand  warblers  of  the  woods;  the  henuiifut  Swan,  or  the  street- 
tinging  CANARY.  The  denizens  of  the  Sea,  from  the  movstroris  Whale,  the  Inrgest  of  living  creatures, 
8ini,'le  specimens  of  which  often  yield  $3000  to  $.iOOO  worth  of  oil,  to  the  marvelluun  little  Ci)i:al,  which 
silenily  builds  Cities  in  the .^reai  deep.  The  Dog  fiimily,  from  the  St.  Bernard,  bniffacton  of  huiimnify, 
to  the  cunning,  delicate  Lapdoo  of  the  parlor.  The  insect  tribe,  from  the  busy  Bee,  storing  away  tho 
sweets  of  a  thousand  flowers,  the  Glow-worm  making  luminous  the  summer  evo,  and  tho  tcouderful  and 
valuable  SiLK-WORM  weaving  the  delicate  CocoON,  to  tho  mischievous  Moth,  the  indnttrions  A.VT  HlLU 
Builders,  and  the  troublesome  Flea.  The  disgusting  reptile  tribe  is  not  overlooked,  but  the  poirerful 
Bo\  Constrictor,  the  dangerous  Rattlesnake,  tho  deadly  Viper,  etc.,  receive  their  proper  attention. 
In  fact,  well  nigh 

Is  herein  minutely  described,  and  their  thousand  and  one  singular  peculiarities  and  curious  hnhift  in  th« 
most  fascinating  manner  forcibly  illustrated  by  means  of  the  most  interesting  nnt-cintes,  some  ludieroin 
in  the  extreme,  many  marvellous,  others  thrilling  in  their  scenes  of  terrible  danger,  and  otli'-'-s  still  full 
of  fond  affection,  etc.,  etc.  The  volume  ii  also  enriched  by  some  1010  Illustrations,  nearly  TO  of  which 
are  full-page,  and  printed  on  fine  plate  paper. 

It  is  a  work  of  far  more  than  ordinary  interest.     The  subject  is  one  which  once  contemplated  growj 
in  interest  to  an  almost  unlimited  extent,  and  in  which  every  person  arrived  at  nmture  years  iii:nieJi- 
ately  feels  a  lively  interest,  as  full  of  basis  for   profitable  contemplation  upon  tho  wonderful  works  (jf  • 
God,  and  also  as  full  of  instruction  and  amusement  for  many  a  quiet  hour;  while  the  little  folk*  find  tha  J 
great  number  of  pictures  of  Dogs,  Horses,  Cats,  Birds,  Monkeys,  Lions,  Whales,  etc.,  a  ncver-failingl 
iource  of  attraction  and  delight. 

It  is  a  book  that  prove*  a  theasurb  in  evert  household  and  to  KVEnr  mevhur  of  it.  It  is  also  th« 
only  really  comprehensive  low-priced  work  on  the  subject  published  in  this  country. 

It  is  a  book,  too,  that,  considering  its  sire,  nearly  llOO  very  Inrye  octavo  page;  the  wealth  of  it* 
illustrations,  some  lOTO,  and  the  excellence  of  its  mechanical  execution,  must  commend  itself  at  onoa 
to  all  as  remarkably  low  in  price. 

Published  in  Oite  Elegant  Octavo  Volttmb  of  1042  pages,  embellished  with  1070  Fine  Illus- 
trations.    It  is  BOUND  in  the  most  substantial  manner,  and  furnished  as  follows : 

In  Kitra  Esfrlish  eloth,  berelfd  boards,  plait  cdgM,  new  ejogaat  designs,  blark.  enamel,  ni  gold $4.50 

AGENTS  WANTED.    A<Jdres.<i  the  rublisJurs.    (!Sp:k  Title  Page.) 


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Address  the  Publishers  aearest  you  (See  Title  Page). 


A  Splendid  Volume  upon  a  Splendid  Theme,  Profusely  Illustrated. 

OCEAITSTtOEY; 

OR, 

TRIUMPHS  OF  THIRTY  CENTURIES. 

BY  THK  CELEBRATED  AUTHORS,  ^ 

F.  B.  mnm,  {m^U  worldrcnowneJ  hisloriau,  "PETEE  PARLEY,")  and  EDWARD  IIOWIAND. 

THE  MATURE  PRODUCT  OF  GREAT  HISTORICAL  RESEARCH, 

An  Authentic  and  Graphic  History  of  the 

Rise  M  Propss  of  SMj  Builiii  ifl  Mptioi  np  tie  Hil  Seas, 

COVF.niNU    AND   INCLl-IlING    INNUMEUABLE 

MARITIME  ADVENTURES  AND  MOST  NOTED  DISCOVERIES. 


i^"  It  unfolds  many  Cmiors  Legends  of  ancient  times,  regarding  the  vast  unknown  des<^rt  of  waters,  and  fs 
richly  spiced  with  thrilling  ncconnU  ot  Naval  Conflicts,  Frightful  Disasters,  Daring  Piuacies,  Bl(X)uv  Muti- 
nies, and  aI)ound3  with  inspiring  incidents  of  iltuoic  Deeiks  and  Glorious  Achikvemevts.  Over  veritahi.k 
History  this  masterly  writer  thruws  the  Craejj  of  Romance  of  "  A  Life  on  the  Ocean  W.ivc  and  a  Home  on  tin- 
Rolling  Deep.'"  Such  another  pictuie  of  all  its  wondrous  wilduess  and  wealth  of  inciJont  is  IjarJly  to  be  foaud 
In  literature. 

IT  ALSO  TREATS  OF  THE 

WORKS  AND  WONDERS  BENEATH  THE  SEA. 

Deep  Wate31  Diving;  How  it  is  done,  and  what  it  accomplishes.  Deep  Sea  SouxoiNa  and  Db«I)(5^n«; 
peculiar  processes  and  important  results.  Subm.a^ijie  Teleokaphing;  History  and  extentof  the  Great  Fisheries; 
how  conducted,  their  magnitude  and  wealth.  The  Marvels  of  the  Coral  Reet.s  and  Islands.  The  mamfolj> 
iKiiABiTANis of  the  great  deep;  habits,  peculiarities,  etc.,  etc.     It  embraces  the  gradual  discorery  of  the  world, 

ITS  FORM,  INHABITANTS,   WONDERS  AND  TREASURES, 

With  details  of  the  Geeat  Voyaces  of  Discoverv  to  all  quarters  of  the  Gixxf.:  iotroduoes  tiie  reader  to 
nearly  every  race  of  mankind,  savaoe  and  civiLiZEn;  describes  numberless  speoioij  of  Fisii  A>o  Fowl,  Gceat 
AKD  &MAL1,,  Sea  Monstees,  En'.,     With /mtoy /itber  malt^-rs  of  lively  intert'st. 

m  WHOLE  sracsEs  w!ia  mi  m  mm  mmLv.m. 

Three-fourths  of  the  eartirs^urt-u'e  ie  c/ivered  by  ival^'r,  yet  this  ini.'noiio<>  mass  is  no  dn^ary  liquid  wast.';  iM 
depths  are  as  pregnant  with  life  as  the  land,  while  thousands  of  mariners  |K«<i])le  its  surfare,  au<.l  sails  of  ivciy 
nation  caliven  its  bosom.  To  the  lriumj)hs  attaioed  by  man  over  tlie  formidable  bajriers  ijfeseuled  by  Ocean  in  the 
early  ages  are  we  indebted  for  our  knowledge  of  the  earth,  our  inunense  coinmerco.  our  lu.xurii's,  and  hir^jcly  cur 
M'ealth  and  happiness.  Yet  this  haj8  ncit  been  the  work  of  a  year  or  «n  age;  neither  accomplisiied  without  greiit 
sacrifices,  large  expenditureg,  deeds  of  iieroiwM  and  daring,  many  tnrentions,  fearless  voj-Ag'-s  uV)on  unknown  st-as, 
hardships,  pierils,  etc.,  etc.  The  checkered  stor>'  of  the  accomplishroent  of  these  mighty  results,  and  of  the  w/;ndurf:d 
works  beneath  the  «ea,  is  a  the«je  which  must  enchain  the  ati«ntion  of  every  thoughtful  or  io<iuiriiig  injiid,  as 
worthy  of  profound  study,  and  is  bere  told  ina  style  of  unusual  vivacity  and  attractivencHa, 

This  work  is  the  result  of  y«irs  of  t\-  te  sliidy  and  olwervation,  and  has  been  prepared  with  the  utmost  care  by 
Authors  of  remarkable  ability,  is  order  to  give  to  )Jae  jMiblic  au  .\ut.heintic  aud  CumprcJjeosve 

yiirary  i  HISTORY,  ADYEHTiJEE,  EXPLOEAf MS,  WmmX,  INVEHTiON,  Etc, 

Connected  wif/i  the  OCJEAJV. 
AGENTS  WANTED.    Address  the  Publisliers.    (See  Title  P.yoe.) 


h  Book  of  Inestimable  Value  to  Every  Woman. 

"  It  is  not  very  agreeaWe  to  cantemplato  the  brevity  of  human  life,  ■when  observation  teaches  HB  that  a  principaS 
rause  is  maifg  own  impmilence." 

"The  fact  is.  nature  has  ItT  laws  and  they  must  not  be  violated." 

"  It  is  lauirtitaMe  that  for  lark  of  a  littU-  knowledge,  so  ninch  misery,  deformity,  and  disease  phoiild  prevail. 
It  must  be  cciiiress<il  tlitTe  is  a  (Ifplorable  iL;norance  of  the  causes,  nature,  and  irealmad  of  f -male  diseases  " 

•■  .  hciv  need  \<>-  very  Xvw  c:is<'s  of  {ciiiiile  disease  where  the  charming  delicacy,  which  is  woinau's  richest 
i.:iiauii-!it,  must  be  olToiiilud  by  the  exposuri'  incident  to  a  medical  examination,  diil  she  at  a  suitable  ago  carc/ulii/ 
x(U(l;/  and  comprehend,  as  is  her  jjiivilege,  the  simple  yet  nil-import cuit  laws  of  her  bntiff." 

"  As  this  volume  is  intended  as  a  Giispbi.  of  Health  to  Buffering  woman,  designed!  to  present  information 
which  v\ill  tend  to  the  irapmvement  of  her  physical  stamina  and  the  maintenance  of  her  dignity,  grace,  beauty, 
Knd  longevity,  I  have  no  apology  to  offer  for  the  hintis  and  sentiments  vvhich  are  yet  to  follow,  as  embodied  in  mif 
inierpreialion  of  the  laws  of  nature  in  regard  to  ihe  funcliotis  of  the  female  oryanism." — S.  Pa.ncoast. 


•^^/■ITII  Buch  pure  and  manly  sentiments  as  are  expressed  in  these  few  extracts  from  liis  book,  onr  distinguished 
*  *'  author  approiichea  the  delicute  subject  handled  in  the  work  we  offer: 

THE 

bL^uISS  IVlSulO^^l  u'^IuSb 

BY 

S.  PANGOAST,  M.D., 

Professor  of  Microscopic  Anatomy,  Physiology,  and  Ike  Institute  of  Medicine  in 

Penn  Medical  Unruersity,  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  author 

of  '■'■Curability  of  Consumption^''  etc.,  etc. 

AN  INSTRUCTIVE  TREATISE  ON  THE  STRUCTURE   AND    FUNCTIONS   OF  THE 

REPRODUCTIVE    ORGANS,    DISEASES    OF    FEMALES    AND    CHILDREN, 

V;iTH  MODES  OF  TREATMENT.     THE  TOILET,   ETC.,  ETC., 

SCIENTIFICALLY  CONSIDERED  IN  REFERENCE  TO 

HEALTH,  BEAUTY,  AND  LONGEVITY. 

^5="  There  is  no  reason  why  an  honest,  intdlicient,  and  chaste  work,  on  even  so  delicate  a  subject  as  Dr. 
Pancoast  has  chosen,  should  he  issued  hesitatingly  by  so  eminent  a  phj-aician. 

He  o>iisiil(n-s  tho  '•family  state  nature's  own  institute,"  and  has  with  singular  carefulness  and  thoroughness 
ii'.d  clearness  instructed  woman  in  all  those  mysteries  of  h-r  oiirn  f/rganism  and  unrelenting  laws  of  human  nature 
in  whic}»  her  hcat/h  and  hiifliest  happiness  are  involved. 

Tho  purest  r-rerrnc'  for  woman,  the  wife  and  mother,  glows  on  every  page.  The  sincerest  desire  for  the  truest 
and  fullest  ftimily  happiness  pervades  the  entire  volumo. 

The  work  is  not  limited  to  the  treatment  of  those  matters  bearing  iminediatutf  ou  woman's  relations  in 
marriage.  It  covers  the  wholo  ground  if  health;  the  child ,  a.\\  its  diseases  and  the  evils  that  threaten  it— how  to 
cmv  them  or  ward  them  off;  tho  maiden,  the  ilangers  and  important  attentions;  tho  young  woman;  the  mother; 
ul!  ai-e  troatu<l  of  with  ennal  thoroughness. 

As  ■\  Scientific  Trcalisr.  of  this  All-important  tliough  Deucate  Subject,  it  is  AVIT130UT  AN  EQUAL, 
aiid  as  a 

it  is  ..ovPLETE,  TiioROifQHi,y  RELIABLE, of  &  HiOH  MORAL  TONE,  and  jn  a  -oronl,  all  that  could  be  desired;  certainly 
th"  boit  that  Dr.  P.mccast,  one  of  America's  most  le«mod  and  slvilful  physicians,  suded  by  the  freest  use  of  the 
nblesl  works  extant,  could  pnxluoeand  t-mhody  within  the  compass  of  this  vo5ume. 

It  is  issued  in  ono  largo  Vlmit.  volume,  of  over  600  Paces,  and  contains  over  130  1 1  i.rsrR.^HYK  Ekgrav- 
ir.Tjs.     It  is  priiited  ou  /ii>o  tinted  papw,  bound  in  neat  and  subsiautsal  binding,  and  fuvnisljwl  in 

EXTRA    EKGLISH    CLOTH $2.25 

J^'S-  Whctro  wo  have  no  agent  Hii.-i  t>»>ok  will  be  mailed,  [x«higr»  paid,  on  reivipt  of  pric-e.  *^^ 

AOEXTS  WANTJUD.    Addvess  the  rnblishcrs.    (So:  Title  Page.) 


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